“How Can You Ask for Equality but You Do Less Work?”: Claressa Shields Guns for Gender Equality in Boxing

In the realm of professional boxing, many have debated over the stark disparity between men’s and women’s divisions. While male fighters bask in the spotlight, enjoying substantial TV time, promotion, and pay, their female counterparts have struggled for recognition and equal opportunities.

However, in the midst of this gender imbalance, a two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields has emerged as a shining star. Despite her personal achievements and financial success, Shields remains acutely aware of the gender inequities deeply ingrained in the sport she loves. Moreover, Claressa Shields recently spoke up about the inequalities in men’s and women’s boxing hoping to become the voice that brings on change.

Claressa Shields addresses the discrepancy in women’s boxing

In a recent interview with Angela Yee, the undefeated champion, spoke up on the disparity in round duration between men’s and women’s fights. She also highlighted the discrepancy in round lengths, stressing the need for women to have the same number of rounds as their male counterparts.

“I was just speaking on this yesterday when I got the Fighter of the Year award, that at least gave us the championship rounds. If you don’t want to give us the minutes because jumping from fighting 20 minutes to fighting 36 is a huge jump, at least let us fight 12 two-minute rounds to where it’s 24 minutes vs the 36. Because why are we fighting 10 Rounds? It’s a world championship fight; we need to fight 12. ” she said

This was not all as Shields, also touched upon how women’s boxing should have three-minute rounds instead of 2 minutes. According to her, this would put women on the same spectrum as men.

Shields calls for three-minute rounds in women’s boxing

The undisputed champion claimed women need to put in the same amount of work as men if they ever want equality in the sport. According to her, this can be done by increasing the minutes in a round in addition to adding 2 more rounds in a fight.

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“I’m also an advocate for them letting us fight three minutes for 12 rounds, also equal to the men. Because how can you ask for equality but you do less work, right? We don’t make the rules to where we have to fight 10 rounds for two minutes. Those rules were made by someone for us. I don’t agree with it. I think it should be equal like it is for the men.” she added

The debate surrounding the structure of boxing men and women has been going on for a long time. While there are arguments in favor of women’s boxing having shorter rounds and overall duration, Shields feels that they are trivial. Moreover, as a trailblazer and outspoken advocate, she has the power to break down barriers and bring about the change she feels is needed in the sport.

What did you think about Shields gunning for equality in women’s boxing? Let us know in the comments.

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