Claressa Shields, Uncrowned’s No. 1 pound-for-pound women’s boxer in the world, has been provisionally suspended from boxing by the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission after she tested positive for marijuana in an oral fluid sample taken after her Feb. 2 fight with Danielle Perkins.
Shields knocked Perkins down with just a few seconds to go in the tenth and final round to take a wide unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten fighter and become boxing’s first-ever women’s undisputed heavyweight champion. Shields also earned the accolade of being the only three-division undisputed champion, male or female, of the four-belt era.
“Ms Claressa Shields’ conduct as a licensed professional boxer constitutes an imminent threat to the integrity of professional boxing, the public interest, and the welfare and safety of professional athletes,” the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission said in a statement.
This isn’t breaking. And it’s not a thinking face, it was marijuana, no PEDs. Also @arielhelwani it’s a temporary suspension til I go to trial for the very petite amount. I’ve never smoked weed. https://t.co/oAN2oredVn
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) February 20, 2025
Typically, when a commission suspends a boxer, they appear on the Association of Boxing Commission’s suspension list. Commissions tend not to license fighters on the ABC’s suspension list, as U.S. commissions operate with a reciprocity rule, which means that, in essence, if you are suspended by one commission in the U.S., you cannot box anywhere stateside. However, Shields’ case appears to be a unique situation.
“Claressa Shields is welcome to fight in California,” Andy Foster of the California State Athletic Commission told Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani on Thursday.
Although the World Anti-Doping Agency has marijuana on its list of banned substances for athletes in competition, marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug, and the governance of its use by athletes is a topic with varying opinions.
Furthermore, the World Boxing Organization has requested that Shields “show cause” to explain the presence of the banned substance in her system and why they should not strip her of her title. It is important to note that the WBO only has power over its belt, and whether Shields holds on to it or not, they cannot ban Shields from competing.
