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The next big thing in women’s boxing? Claressa Shields may just be the big thing right now.

Shields, a 16-year-old, 165-pound middleweight who grew up brawling in Flint, Mich has been the talk of the U.S. women’s boxing trials. She’s  a teenager who wears socks with pictures of Betty Boop and then staggers opponents with her fearsome punching.

The teenage boxing sensation entered the ring earlier this week to face the Olympic Trials’ top-ranked American middleweight Franchon Crews. Shields was calm and confident before the match and went on to upset the the National champion by a wide margin.  This was just Shields second tournament in the open division (17-34 years old) but she won 31 to 19.

Reporters pounced on her after her victory. Few had seen her fight before. One asked what she would have done differently. “Um,” Shields paused, “I would have thrown more punches.”

A day after scoring the stunning upset  Shields  knew she’d be in for a battle in the semifinals of the U.S. Olympic women’s boxing trials . Her opponent was 2010 women’s world welterweight champion Andrecia Wasson of Center Line, whom Shields defeated last fall in Toledo to win the National PAL Championships.

The only coach Shields’ ever had, Jason Crutchfield, is one of the few men who has embraced women’s boxing. They train at the Bertson gym in Flint near where Shields attends high school. Crutchield said his boxer beat Crews  in the opening bout in part because Shields was the aggressor.

Just six fighters remain with a chance to earn three spots on the U.S. team and the chance to qualify for the debut of women’s boxing at the London Olympics.

Shields will take on Tika Hemingway who got a dominant decision over Raquel Miller (San Francisco, CA) in the finals of the Middleweight division.

The U.S. Olympic women’s boxing trials are the sole domestic qualifier for the London Games but the road to London doesn’t end this weekend. The trials champions in each of the three weight divisions will move on to the world championships this spring in China, where they will need to place in the top eight to earn berths in the 2012 Olympics. Only then can the dream of London become a reality.

The fact that boxing is debuting as a women’s sport this summer is a major milestone. The International Olympic Committee didn’t exactly welcome women’s boxing with open arms. It was more like the IOC dipping a toe in the water. Women’s boxing was added to the Olympic program, but only in three weight classifications: 112 pounds, 132 pounds, 165 pounds. Halbert says in this country alone, about 3,000 women register as amateur boxers in 10 weight classes.

Tradition of boxing. Practiced in every It’s been 108 years since women boxed in the Olympics. At the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis, women’s boxing  was a “display event.” This summer women box for a medal.

As a participant of the IOC’s Women and Sport Conference in Los Angeles this week, the question of parity at the Games has been discussed at length. It seems that with every step forward, the IOC takes two steps back.  With the addition of boxing comes the elimination of softball, one of the few women-only events.  For two weeks every four years,  women are spotlighted at the Olympics. They’re not marginalized and the media coverage is equal to the men. But what about the other 206 weeks. Women boxers, as well as female athletes in all sports, deserve equal support and coverage.

Good luck to the finalists at the trials – can’t wait to see some of you in London.

The Olympic finals will stream Saturday night at 8 p.m. pacific on UniversalSports.com.

[Update: Saturday 9:11 PST] The 16 year old sensation beat Hemingway and Shields is the official U.S. representative in the Middleweight division. She is the surprise 2012 Team Trials Champion heading to China and if she places in the top eight, she is going to the Olympic Games!

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• Boxing
• Olympics
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• U.S. Women's Boxing Olympic Trials

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• 2012 U.S. Olympic Boxing Trials

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