Claressa Shields is pushing back after being suspended by the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission over a positive marijuana test following her heavyweight victory against Danielle Perkins. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and undisputed world champion appeared on The Tamron Hall Show to address the controversy, insisting she has never used marijuana and believes the situation has been blown out of proportion.
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Tamron Hall set the stage, explaining, “You do the saliva test thinking nothing of it—standard business practice.” However, the test results showed trace amounts of marijuana, leading to Shields’ suspension. Shields, 29, said she was blindsided by the ruling, especially since a urine test she took afterward showed no signs of the drug.
According to Shields, the venue where she fought “reeked of marijuana,” and she believes secondhand exposure—combined with celebrating with fans—led to the false positive. “I have nothing against marijuana, but the place reeked of it,” she said. “Everybody in Flint feels like they’re my cousins, my brothers, my friends. I was hugging and kissing everybody, and I know some boxers don’t stop and greet fans, but I’m not one of them.”
The Michigan Commission defended its emergency suspension by claiming Shields posed an “imminent threat to the integrity of the sport,” a statement that Shields says is both unfair and damaging. “When I read that, it hurt,” she admitted. As a Black woman in boxing, she says she has had to “work 10 times harder” to receive opportunities and respect, and now she’s facing an accusation she believes is unjustified.
Shields also expressed frustration over the impact this could have on her career beyond the ring. “It’s already hard for me to get endorsements and sponsors because of the sport I do and because they don’t know how to accept powerful Black women,” she explained. “Now I’m fighting this, too.”
She was further blindsided by the public fallout. “The WBO made a post saying I was a danger to the sport. Hollywood Unlocked, The Shade Room—everyone was saying I was suspended and that I smoke weed,” she said. “I’m sitting at home looking at all this like, ain’t no way this is happening to me.”
Shields clarified that she is not banned from boxing as a whole—only from competing in Michigan—but the ruling has sparked an investigation by both the Michigan Commission and the WBO, which has given her 30 days to clear her name.
Despite the controversy, Shields remains confident that she will be vindicated. “Some blogs reached out and said when I clear my name, they’ll post about it. I appreciate that,” she said.
For now, she is awaiting the next steps but remains determined to prove that she has always been, as she’s consistently claimed, a clean athlete.
