Early career In November 2016, Shields officially went pro. She won her first match, against
Franchón Crews-Dezurn, by unanimous decision. On March 10, 2017, she faced Szilvia Szabados for the
North American Boxing Federation middleweight title, and won by TKO. This was the main event on
ShoBox, with a regional title fight between
Antonio Nieves and
Nikolai Potapov serving as the co-main event. It was the first time a women's boxing bout was the main event on a United States premium network card. On June 16, 2017, Shields headlined the "Detroit Brawl," facing Sydney LeBlanc in her first scheduled eight-round bout. LeBlanc signed on with three days notice, after Mery Rancier dropped out due to visa issues. Shields won the bout by decision after all eight rounds.
Super middleweight champion Shields vs. Adler On August 4, 2017, Shields defeated defending champ
Nikki Adler by 5th round TKO at the
MGM Grand Detroit for the
WBC super-middleweight belt and the vacant
IBF super-middleweight belt. The ref had to jump in to protect the undefeated Adler. The fight was broadcast on
Showtime.
Shields vs. Nelson On January 12, 2018, Shields retained her WBC and IBF female super middleweight titles, and won the
WBAN super-middleweight title by defeating 17-0
Tori Nelson. It was Shields' first time going all 10 rounds in her professional career.
Middleweight champion Shields vs. Gabriel On June 22, 2018, in just her sixth professional fight, Shields defeated
Hanna Gabriel by
unanimous decision to win the vacant
WBA and inaugural IBF
middleweight titles, breaking the record for becoming a two-weight world champion in the fewest professional bouts, previously held by
Vasyl Lomachenko. During the first round, she suffered the first knockdown of her professional career. The bout marked her move down from 168 pounds to 160 and was her first fight under trainer
John David Jackson, following her previous five bouts with Jason Crutchfield.
Shields vs. Hermans On December 8, 2018, Shields' fight aired on
HBO, her first appearance on the network, a fight which was a part of the last boxing card to occur on HBO. She faced
Femke Hermans outboxing her all 10 rounds for a unanimous decision victory.
Shields vs. Hammer On April 13, 2019, Shields became the
undisputed women's middleweight world champion, unifying the WBA, WBC, IBF and
WBO middleweight titles, along with
The Ring magazine's inaugural middleweight belt, after defeating
Christina Hammer by unanimous decision. The victory was a near shutout with two judges scoring the bout 98–91 while a third judge scored it 98–92.
Light middleweight champion Shields vs. Habazin Shields was scheduled to fight
Ivana Habazin for the vacant WBO
junior middleweight title in Flint, Michigan, on October 5, 2019. However, the fight was postponed due to Habazin's trainer being attacked at the weigh in. The fight eventually took place on January 10, 2020, with an all female ring (referee). The Atlantic boardwalk hall had a sold out Venue as Claressa won by unanimous decision, 99–89, 100–90 and 100–89, and became the fastest ever to win titles in 3 divisions male or female in history.
Shields vs. Dicaire On March 5, 2021, Shields defeated
Marie-Eve Dicaire by unanimous decision to retain her WBC and WBO super welterweight titles, claim IBF 154-pound belt, and vacant WBA light middleweight strap. With the win she became the first boxer in the four-belt era to hold undisputed titles in two weight classes, and the first female boxer to be an undisputed champion in two weight classes. This fight took place in Shields' hometown with a limited crowd due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Return to middleweight Shields vs. Kozin Shields then faced
Ema Kozin on February 5, 2022. She captured a unanimous decision with all referees scoring every round for her, and retained her WBA, WBC, IBF, and
The Ring female middleweight titles meanwhile winning the
WBF female middleweight title also.
Shields vs. Marshall Shields was initially scheduled to face reigning
WBO Middleweight Champion
Savannah Marshall in a title unification bout on September 10, 2022. However, due to the
death of Queen Elizabeth II the bout was postponed to take place on October 15, 2022. On the night of the fight, Shields went the full 10-round distance against Marshall. According to CompuBox stats, Shields outlanded Marshall 175 to 136; landed significantly more jabs, 44 to 14; and landed more power, 131 to 122. Shields won via unanimous decision with two judges scoring the fight 97–93 and one scoring it 96–94, all in favor of Shields to become the undisputed middleweight world champion. This fight occurred at
the O2 Arena and was the first time two female boxers headlined at a major venue in the United Kingdom. As well, the fight headlined the first all-female boxing card in the
United Kingdom.
Shields vs. Cornejo On June 3, 2023, Shields defeated
Maricela Cornejo by unanimous decision at
Little Caesars Arena in
Detroit,
Michigan to retain her
undisputed middleweight title. After dominating from start to finish, the judges scored the bout 100-89, 100-90 and 100-90.
Light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Shields vs. Lepage-Joanisse Shields was scheduled to challenge
Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for her WBC heavyweight title at
Little Caesars Arena in
Detroit, MI on July 27, 2024. The bout was contested at 175 pounds with the vacant WBF heavyweight and WBO light heavyweight titles also on the line. Shields won the fight via second-round TKO, dropping Joanisse three times along the way.
Undisputed heavyweight champion Shields vs. Perkins On February 2, 2025, Shields faced
Danielle Perkins for the
undisputed heavyweight championship at
Dort Financial Center in
Flint, Michigan. She scored the fight's lone knockdown in the waning seconds of the tenth round and won the bout by unanimous decision with the judges scorecards reading 97-92, 99-90, and 100-89- all for Shields. Thanks to the victory, she became the only three-division undisputed champion, male or female, of the four-belt era, as well as the first female undisputed heavyweight champion ever. Following her win over Perkins, Shields tested positive in competition for marijuana, but was eventually cleared of wrongdoing following receipt of evidence that a procedural error occurred. On March 3, 2025, Shields opted to vacate her WBO light heavyweight title as the organization doesn’t allow their champions to hold belts in two divisions simultaneously.
Shields vs. Daniels Shields defended her undisputed heavyweight title against
Lani Daniels on July 26, 2025, in Detroit, MI. She defeated her by unanimous decision, outlanding Daniels 167–41 according to
CompuBox. Daniels didn’t land a single punch in the first, second, and sixth rounds. The judges scored the bout 100–90, 99–91, and 99–91 all in favor of Shields.
Shields vs. Crews-Dezurn II Shields defended her undisputed heavyweight title in a rematch against
Franchón Crews-Dezurn on February 22, 2026, at the
Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI. She won the bout by unanimous decision, taking every round on all three judges' scorecards, each of which read 100–90 in her favor. According to CompuBox, Shields outlanded Crews-Dezurn 226–106 in total punches. ==Professional mixed martial arts career==