March 17, 2025
Claressa Shields No Longer Suspended, May Still Face ‘Enforcement Action’
'The Department will remove Respondent's name from the suspension list of the sanctioned record-keeping organization.'
Although undefeated boxing champion Claressa Shields had her recent suspension “dissolved” after testing positive for marijuana, she may still face “enforcement action” from the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission (MUCC), the agency that regulates boxing in the state.
According to USA Today, the agency made its ruling on March 14, and Shields took to social media to tell her followers the news she had anticipated since being accused of smoking weed.
Officially unsuspended ! But y’all a little quiet! Y’all was real loud about me “supposedly” smoking marijuana and being suspended! No worries! And still an Undisputed heavyweight champ! I have the Order to prove it!!! About to go live on Instagram! #freeClaressaShields #Gwoat… pic.twitter.com/DBxNks0LnN
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) March 14, 2025
MUCC issued the following statement on Shields’ suspension, “Based on the information the Respondent provided at the compliance conference, the Department (of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs), on behalf of the MUCC, finds there is no longer imminent threat to the integrity of the sport, the public interest, or the welfare and safety of a contest that requires emergency action. … The Department will remove Respondent’s name from the suspension list of the sanctioned record-keeping organization (Friday).”
The last line of the statement does not clarify whether Shields is completely scot-free of any other punishments due to the positive test taken after the fight. It reads, “The Order does not resolve the Formal Complaint … and does not close the enforcement action.”
The MUCC stated in February that Shields tested positive for marijuana after her latest fight on Feb. 2 in Michigan. The commission also indicated that she is under investigation due to the test results. She was given an ‘oral fluid sample’ after she defeated heavyweight Danielle Perkins.
Shields, who sports a record of 16 victories and no defeats, became the first-ever women’s undisputed heavyweight champion in boxing history when she defeated Perkins unanimously at her last boxing match. The fight occurred in her hometown of Flint at the Dort Financial Center.