Claressa Shields is no longer suspended by Michigan’s boxing commission, the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission (MUCC), after revealing on her social media on Friday afternoon that she was cleared:
“Officially unsuspended! But y’all a little quiet! Y’all was real loud about me “supposedly” smoking marijuana and being suspended!” Shields wrote on social media.
“No worries! And still an Undisputed heavyweight champ! I have the Order to prove it!!! About to go live on Instagram!“
The uplifting of Shields’ suspension pending an investigation for the use of marijuana had been debatable from the start after it was already reported that Shields had passed her urine test, and was also claimed to have passed a VADA test. Shields did fail a mouth swab test for marijuana but due to this test falling far below the standards of regular drug testing approved by the World-Anti Doping Agency (WADA), it was easy to conclude that Shields might have failed the test due to second-hand smoke rather than actual use.
Notably, it was not merely the MUCC’s suspension and claims of Shields’ drug use that drew alarms. Accompanied with their suspension, as was revealed by the WBO, was a complaint filed against Claressa Shields by a Linda Clegg, the director of the Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs of the State of Michigan, whose complaint argued that Shields “conducted herself in a manner that poses an imminent threat to the public interest in professional boxing contests”.
This was a particularly odd and unnecessary complaint given the multitude of boxers that failed drug tests but were never accused by any governing body or state athletic commission in the same vein. The complaint also made mention of the apparent behavior that Claressa Shields displayed that signified her supposed unprofessionalism, but any substantiations on how the fighter’s behavior warranted this accusation was conveniently left out.
On March 6th, Claressa Shields held a meeting with the MUCC and proved her innocence, which prompted the MUCC to announce the uplifting of her suspension roughly two weeks after:
“The department held a compliance conference with the respondent [Shields] on March 6, 2025,” The MUCC’s statement reads.
“At the compliance conference, Respondent provided evidence that her conduct no longer poses an imminent threat to the integrity of the sport, the public interest, or the welfare and safety of a contestant.”
Disturbingly, the MUCC’s language regarding Shields appears quite stunning, with their words prior to the uplifting of her suspension pinpointing her as an “imminent threat to the integrity of the sport“. During the above-mentioned statement, this continues to be a vocal point when announcing her innocence.
This is a particularly interesting fact given the likes of Ryan Garcia, who clearly showed behavior that directly affected the reputation of the sport both before and after he was eventually suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), was never addressed in any manner signifying his conduct as an “imminent threat“.
Clearly, there is a discrepancy between how state athletic commissions treat fighters, which is curious given the MUCC had no qualms in identifying Claressa Shields as a danger to the sport despite being born and raised in the state of Michigan. Garcia, on the other hand, is a Los Angeles-native with no known connections to New York who was treated by the NYSAC with the utmost fairness to the point of suggesting some sort of favoritism ― having neglected to conveniently mention that Garcia was suspended for intentional drug use.
Notably, the presence of the banned substance of Ostarine, an actual performance-enhancing drug (PED), was treated by the NYSAC as a matter of inconvenience rather than deliberate, despite Garcia failing not only a VADA test but a drug test from the commission itself.
This sort of inconsistency in boxing more accurately reflects the true danger in boxing, with fighters that blatantly cheat and display intolerant behavior being treated with extreme leniency, while Shields ― who has contributed to her country since a teenager, reflected through her array of gold medals that include no less than two Olympic final wins ― is instantly regarded as a hazard to boxing over a non-performance enhancing drug.
Judging by the MUCC’s statement where Shields supposedly proved she was not a threat to the sport, the state athletic commission appears incapable of adjusting their attitude accordingly and admitting that their language is more harmful than necessary to boxing. Given the MUCC is also not a particular commission of great renown or standing, they should further be held accountable for their statements which threatened to defame the career of a future Hall of Famer in Shields.
However, with boxing known to be one of the most corrupt sports on the planet, the MUCC is unlikely to change their stripes, and no changes are expected to be made in future instances where fighters that actually prove to be a threat will be treated accordingly.
