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The American has helped put women's boxing on
the map and with victory over Ivana Habazin in Atlantic City on
Jan. 10, she would become the fastest boxer in history - male or
female - to hold three division world titles at the same time.
Shields told Reuters she is proud to be the face of the emerging
sport.
"With women's boxing, I'm definitely the trailblazer," said the
undefeated 24-year-old, who won gold medals at the 2012 and 2016
Olympics.
"We have some other trailblazers but I'm the one carrying the
sport, taking the biggest challenges and making the most
history.
"I want to be looked at not just as a great boxer but as one of
the best women athletes in sports."
The adversity Shields faced growing up in impoverished Flint,
Michigan shaped her outlook on life and her boxing style, which
combines a high ring IQ with devastating power.
"Growing up in Flint, you have to be tough mentally, physically
and spiritually," she said.
"There was never a time for weakness, ever, in Flint. You always
had to defend yourself."
Women's boxing effectively didn't exist when Shields was young
so she had to look outside her discipline for inspiration, which
she found in a young tennis player from Compton, California.
"My role model was Serena Williams," she said of the American
23-times Grand Slam singles champion.
"I know she's not a boxer but the kind of legacy that she has in
tennis, I want to have that in boxing.
"I want to be at the top of my sport and be able to stand up for
African Americans, stand up for women and display that strong
women figure," she said.
"She's 5'9-5'10 stature, maybe 180 pounds. Big butt, small
waist, pretty, dark skin. That's who I idolized when I was
growing up."
BADDEST WOMAN
The biggest story in women's combat sports heading into 2020 is
a possible crossover fight between Shields and Brazilian MMA
champion Amanda Nunes.
Shields said she was disappointed to hear Nunes reject a
proposed two-fight deal that would see them face off once inside
the UFC octagon and then in the boxing ring.
Nunes flatly rejected the invitation to box this week, although
she said she would fight Shields in MMA, something Shields has
never done.
"I was shocked to hear her say that," Shields said.
"Maybe I have too much of a competitive spirit but I thought we
were one and the same.
"Maybe she doesn't desire to be known as the baddest woman on
the planet, maybe she's okay with being known as the baddest
women in MMA.
"But for me, (MMA champion) Conor McGregor came over to fight
(boxing champion) Floyd Mayweather so I don't know, I guess her
boxing coach should be ashamed of himself."
Shields said that either way she plans to begin learning MMA in
anticipation of a cross-over bout.
Before that, however, she is focused on taking care of business
on Jan. 10, when she will look to extend her professional record
to 10-0.
"After I become a three-time division world champion, then I'll
start doing some MMA training and get into it," she said.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Ed Osmond)
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