Claressa Shields is a two-time United States gold medalist who captured top honors in the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio Games and immediately catapulted her pro career soon after.
The 25-year-old Shields (10-0, 2 KOs), a three-division champion, is advising US Olympians to remain patient and wait out postponement that forced the 2020 Tokyo Games to take place in the summer of 2021 due to the Covid-19 global pandemic.
“I would stay amateur. I would wait,” Shields told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “Being an Olympics medalist, or just being an Olympian, when you turn pro and have that on your resume, people know that you’re a serious fighter and have serious skills. You’ve faced a lot of [fighters from different countries] and have a lot of experience. You’ll also get better and learn more with another year for the Olympics.
Shields, who hails from Flint, Michigan, said being an Olympian ultimately means more money for amateurs who are on the cusp of turning pro.
“It adds some more zeroes to the checks and gives you more notoriety and respect,” said Shields. “Having won two gold medals, it skyrocketed my career. That’s how I was able to call out world champions. People say if you can become an Olympic medalist, you usually become a world champion. Everybody is on the same accord and they give you that respect.”
The 2021 Tokyo Games begin next year on July 23.
The US men’s team that was announced in January includes Anthony Herrera (52 kg) of Los Angeles, Calif., Bruce Carrington (57 kg) of Brooklyn, N.Y., Keyshawn Davis (63 kg) of Norfolk, Va., Delante Johnson (69 kg) of Cleveland, Ohio, Joseph Hicks (75 kg) of Grand Rapids, Mich., Rahim Gonzales (81 kg) of Las Vegas, Nev., Darius Fulghum (91 kg) of Houston, Texas, and Richard Torrez Jr., (91+kg) of Tulare, Calf.
On the US women’s side, the five representatives include Virginia Fuchs (51 kg) of Houston, Texas, Andrea Medina (57 kg) of San Diego, Calif., Rashida Ellis (60 kg) of Lynn, Mass., Oshae Jones (69 kg) of Toledo, Ohio, and Naomi Graham (75 kg) of Fayetteville, N.C.
The US Olympic alternates on the men’s side will be Abraham Perez (52 kg) of Albuquerque, N.M., David Navarro (57 kg) of Los Angeles, Calif., Ernesto Mercado (63 kg) of Pomona, Calif., Freudis Rojas Jr. (69 kg) of Dallas, Texas, Javier Martinez (75 kg) of Milwaukee, Wisc., Atif Oberlton (81 kg) of Philadelphia, Pa., Jamar Talley (91 kg) of Camden, N.J., and Antonio Mireles (91+ kg) of Des Moines, Iowa.
On the women’s side, the US Olympic alternates will be Christina Cruz (51 kg) of Hell’s Kitchen, N.Y., Lupe Gutierrez (57 kg) of Sacramento, Calif., Amelia Moore (60 kg) of Alexandria, Va., Briana Che (69 kgs) of Madison, Wisc. and Morelle McCane (75 kg) of Cleveland, Ohio.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the LA Times, Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com.
