Claressa Shields opens up about childhood sexual abuse and household silence in new interview

Claressa Shields — one of the crucial adorned athletes on the planet and broadly considered the best feminine boxer of all time — is opening up about one of the crucial painful moments of her childhood. In a candid and emotional look on Membership Shay Shay, the boxing champion revealed she was sexually abused at simply 5 years previous by her mom’s boyfriend, a trauma she says formed not solely her childhood however her total perspective on belief, security, and resilience.

It’s a revelation that has shocked followers, particularly given Shields’ long-public narrative of perseverance, poverty, and a turbulent upbringing. However this new chapter of her story exposes still-raw wounds buried beneath her dominance within the ring — and highlights how even the strongest fighters typically carry invisible battles.

A Champion Constructed By way of Ache, Energy, and Perseverance

Claressa Shields’ rise within the boxing world has been nothing wanting historic.

Born on March 17, 1995, Shields started boxing at age 11 after strolling right into a health club the place her father — who as soon as boxed — inspired her to provide the game an opportunity. She rapidly turned a prodigy.

Her novice profession was unprecedented. Shields turned the first American boxer — male or feminine — to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals, incomes championships on the 2012 London Video games and 2016 Rio Video games. These achievements made her not only a star of ladies’s boxing however an icon of American sports activities historical past.

In her skilled profession, Shields has collected an astonishing 18 main world titles throughout 5 weight lessons, making her the solely lady to carry all 4 belts (WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF) in three divisions. In 2021, she turned the undisputed mild middleweight champion. By 2024, she added the undisputed middleweight title for a second time. Then, in 2025, she made historical past once more by capturing the undisputed heavyweight title.

Shields holds the file for turning into a two-, three-, four-, and five-division world champion within the fewest skilled fights — a feat unmatched within the sport.

Her dominance earned her prime pound-for-pound recognition by ESPN, The Ring, and BoxRec. And past boxing, Shields explored skilled MMA, becoming a member of the Skilled Fighters League and additional proving her unmatched versatility.

Behind each trophy, nonetheless, now rests a deeper story — one in every of survival past the ring.

Shields Shares the Painful Fact About Her Childhood

Through the interview, Shields opened up with a degree of vulnerability hardly ever seen in skilled athletes. Talking about her early dwelling life, she revealed that her mom’s boyfriend sexually abused her when she was solely 5 years previous. The trauma, she mentioned, was complicated, isolating, and deeply damaging — and he or she didn’t really feel secure sufficient to inform anybody.

Shields admitted she carried resentment towards her mom for years as a result of she didn’t imagine her mom would imagine her, or worse, would ignore what occurred. “I felt like my mother wouldn’t shield me,” she defined, describing the emotional distance that grew from that concern.

Due to the instability in her dwelling, Shields finally spent a lot of her childhood residing along with her grandmother — a spot the place she discovered construction, safety, and a way of security that was typically lacking elsewhere in her life.

Her story displays what many survivors expertise: concern, silence, confusion, and an awesome perception that nobody will pay attention.

The Ache of Silence: The Actuality of Household-Based mostly Sexual Abuse

Shields’ revelation touches on a difficulty many households keep away from discussing: sexual abuse dedicated by somebody inside the house.

Within the interview, she revealed that she by no means spoke overtly in regards to the assault till she was 16 years previous — regardless of the abuse taking place at age 5. Nobody in her household addressed it. There have been no questions requested. Nobody helped her course of the trauma.

That silence, Shields defined, made her really feel alone and unseen.
“When one thing occurs contained in the household, individuals faux it didn’t occur,” she mentioned, noting how she grew up believing that talking up would solely deliver extra ache or disbelief.

Her story mirrors the truth of numerous survivors who typically keep quiet for years. Many are too younger to grasp what occurred, too afraid to talk up, or too satisfied nobody of their family will shield them.

Shields’ determination to interrupt her silence — particularly on such a public platform — is a robust reminder of the significance of believing survivors and dismantling the stigma round abuse.

A Love Story within the Highlight: Shields and Papoose

Whereas Shields is understood for her dominance within the ring, her private life has not too long ago taken middle stage after it was revealed that she had been in a secret relationship with legendary Brooklyn rapper Papoose.

In 2024, the connection turned public after Papoose’s estranged spouse, Remy Ma, addressed rumors on-line, confirming the affair. Although controversial, Shields and Papoose have since displayed a united entrance, showing publicly collectively, together with at Hawaii Fest in 2025.

For Shields, the connection marks a brand new — and really public — chapter in her private life. Whereas some followers have been shocked, others confirmed sturdy help for her happiness, noting that her journey has been full of hardship and that she deserves love and stability.

A New Period: Main Profession Strikes and Historic Offers

In November 2025, Shields signed a serious multi-fight take care of Salita Promotions and Wynn Information, securing a assured minimal of $8 million — one of many largest contracts ever reported for a girl in fight sports activities.

The deal additional solidified her standing not solely because the face of ladies’s boxing however as one of the crucial marketable athletes in fight sports activities historical past.

At solely 30, Shields stays a powerhouse whose legacy continues to develop with each battle.

A Courageous Reflection in a Tradition Studying to Pay attention

Claressa Shields’ determination to share her childhood trauma is a breakthrough second — not only for her personally, however for survivors who typically really feel silenced, dismissed, or ignored.

In an period the place conversations about abuse, consent, and accountability have gotten extra public, Shields’ story is a robust testimony to the resilience of those that survived family-based trauma. Her revelation additionally emphasizes an necessary takeaway: even icons, champions, and world-class athletes typically carry hidden scars.

Her braveness might assist numerous others discover their voice.

And along with her continued dominance in boxing, her quickly increasing model, and her willingness to be susceptible, Claressa Shields stays — as all the time — undefeated in additional methods than one.