Can Claressa Shields Make Women’s Boxing Must-See TV?

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2021

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

At just 25 years old, Claressa Shields might already be the best women’s boxer of all time. The Flint, Michigan native is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. She’s undefeated in her professional career. And she’s already won titles in three different weight divisions. But this Friday, she is attempting something that could fundamentally change the entire sport. Shields is headlining the first ever all-female pay-per-view boxing card...and doing it without the backing of a major broadcast network. She’s hoping to prove that women’s boxing can draw viewers and put female fighters on a path to one day making the same money as their male counterparts. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein joins the show to tell us about Claressa Shields’ rise as a fighter and how the trail she is blazing might take her to a whole new sport entirely. Then, Pablo reflects on his beloved New York Knicks in their current, fleeting moment of triumph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is our first pay-a-view showing for women's boxing in 20 years.
0:06.0	We're in fighting to raise women's boxing as a whole.
0:10.0	You know, so it's a whole different fight.
0:12.0	We're not going to wait on the network to give us an opportunity.
0:14.0	We're going to go out there and make a way for ourselves and make the biggest fight.
0:19.0	Like the men get to get inside the ring and fight and look like crap and get another opportunity.
0:24.6	Us women, we have to make sure we bring our A game every fight.
0:31.6	For the past decade, Clarissa Shields has made a very, very strong case for herself as the greatest
0:39.0	women's boxer ever.
0:41.5	The 25-year-old has two Olympic gold medals and is undefeated in her pro career.
0:47.8	But on Friday, Shields will attempt to make a case with even greater implications, that women's boxing is worthy,
0:56.0	worthy of an audience, and worthy of equality as she headlines the first all-female
1:01.3	pay-per-view boxing card in history.
1:05.8	Today, why the boxer nicknamed T-Rex decided to take the fight outside the ring,
1:11.6	and how the trail she's blazing might take her to a whole new sport entirely.
1:19.6	I'm Pablo Torre. It's Thursday, March 4th.
1:22.6	This is ESPN Daily.
1:33.1	Michael, thanks so much for joining me again, man.
1:37.1	Yeah, it's great to be back again twice and I guess a little over a month.
1:38.6	I'm pretty honored at this point.
1:41.9	Michael Rothstein covers boxing for ESPN,
1:47.8	and his behind-the-scenes look at Clarissa Shield's journey to this moment is out now on ESPN.com.
	...

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