The world will soon become much more familiar with the story of Olympic legend, boxing champion and PFL fighter Claressa Shields.
Shields has a strong claim to being the greatest women’s fighter in combat sports history. She certainly thinks so, acknowledging herself as the “GWOAT” (Greatest Woman of All Time) at every possible opportunity.
Shields, who won Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016, is undefeated in her professional boxing career at 15-0. She has won the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles in two weight classes, and her only blemish in regulated combat is a split decision loss in her second MMA fight in October 2021.
The road to Shields’ countless accolades hasn’t been a smooth one, however, and a biopic titled “The Fire Inside,” which releases nationwide in U.S. theaters on Dec. 25, will recount the challenges she faced en route to putting herself in the history books.
The role of Shields is played by Ryan Destiny, whom Shields believes perfectly portrayed the power behind her story.
“Ryan did me great justice,” Shields said. “I have a very ferocious attitude when it comes to boxing, but during the time in my life that Ryan plays me, I was ferocious every day. It wasn’t just inside the ring – it was outside the ring, dealing with my family and friends, dealing with the trauma that I went through as a child. And I wondered, would Ryan be able to portray that? She could and did.
“All I cared about at that time was being the greatest boxer in the world. I wanted to win the Olympics. And all the while my family used to go without food – I had a rough relationship with my mom, and I had to raise my sister and my little brother. But when I saw Ryan run and watched her punch the bag, hit the pads in the ring, I was like, ‘Am I watching Ryan, or am I watching myself?’ That’s how good she was at portraying me. Even her energy when I had just won a fight and was sitting there pouting because I didn’t get all the points that I wanted, she got that. Watching Ryan in the movie, I was thinking, ‘This is unbelievable.'”
Check out the film’s official synopsis, as well as the theatrical poster, below:
THE FIRE INSIDE is based on the inspirational true story of Claressa Shields, arguably the greatest female boxer of all time. Claressa, a high school Junior from Flint, Michigan, aided by her tough-love coach Jason Crutchfield, pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win a gold medal in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and the real fight has only just begun.
