Claressa Shields (16-0, 3 KO’s) is facing what is appearing to be a witch hunt by various institutions in boxing after being suspended following a positive oral swab test and facing an investigation into her conduct following her February 2nd win over Danielle Perkins that culminated in her becoming the first women’s undisputed heavyweight (175+ lbs) champion in history.

Interestingly, Shields’ suspension by the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission (UCC) appears more like overzealous persecution as made apparent by the WBO’s “show cause” notice to Claressa Shields yesterday in which they mentioned a state official, a “Ms. Clegg”, had established that Shields “conducted herself in a manner that compromises the integrity of the sport of professional boxing and the safety of professional boxers, to the detriment of the public interest“.

The WBO’s “show cause” notice is issued to fighters who have failed a drug test or committed offenses outlined by the sanctioning body. These fighters are then required to prove their innocence in order to retain their titles or ranking positions.

Within the letter sent to Shields, the WBO highlighted a number of disturbing accusations directed at Shields by complainant Ms. Clegg who accused the fighter of being a detriment to the sport: “On February 2, 2025, Ms. Claressa Shields participated in a professional boxing contest against Daniele Perkins at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan.

“Ms. Shields won the bout via unanimous decision. After the fight, Ms. Shields submitted an oral fluid sample for screening to detect the presence of controlled substances, alcohol, enhancers, stimulants, performance-enhancing drugs, or any other prohibited substances, including their derivatives or metabolites.

“On or about February 7, 2025, the Department was notified that Ms. Shields’ oral fluid screening indicated a positive result for the presence of Marijuana (THC). According to the complainant (Ms. Clegg), the presence of the aforementioned substance establishes that Ms. Shields conducted herself in a manner that compromises the integrity of the sport of professional boxing and the safety of professional boxers, to the detriment of the public interest.

“Furthermore, according to the state official, the presence of the banned substance establishes that Ms. Shields conducted herself in a manner that poses an imminent threat to the public interest in professional boxing contests, justifying the summary suspension of her license under MCL 338.3642(1) & (5) and MCL 338.3648(5).“

According to the WBO, complainant Linda Clegg―the Director of the Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs of the State of Michigan, has begun an investigation into Shields after “complaints alleging violations of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Regulatory Act, MCL 338.3601“.

The letter further explains that following Shields’ win on February 2nd, she was observed by unknown parties of conduct, otherwise interpreted as behavior, that “compromises the integrity of the sport of professional boxing and the safety of professional boxers, to the detriment of the public interest“, which was supported by her subsequent failed mouth swab drug test for marijuana.

Any substantiation on this behavior that supposedly “compromised the integrity of the sport of professional boxing” was not elaborated on in the letter but there are multiple facets to this complaint which exposes it as a misguided attempt that may ruin Shields’ reputation.

The first factor to take into account is that Claressa Shields is widely known for being outspoken. Numerous instances have painted her in the media as a somewhat controversial figure not shy in being quite candid in her opinions.

The second factor pertains to how marijuana is being attributed to her behavior. Known as a mind-altering substance through the components it’s comprised of [THC], marijuana has differing effects on people that use it and a recent study in 2021 did not identify any clear negative behavioral effects.

The third factor might be the most important, with SNAC founder Victor Conte―with whom Claressa Shields is aligned―having put forth a significant argument that the amount that Shields tested positive for suggested that the UCC’s current testing standards are faulty compared to the testing procedures the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) applies to detect the presence THC:

“There seems to be important questions and some confusion about the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission’s use of a mouth swab to test for marijuana,” Conte stated earlier today on his social media account.

“The commission recently found elite boxer [Claressa Shields] to be positive for trace amounts of THC. As background, the World Anti-Doping Agency does NOT use mouth swabs to test Olympic athletes for THC. They use urine because it is a superior sample type. WADA established an “allowable limit” of 150 ng/ml of THC in urine to protect innocent athletes.

“A study called “Passive cannabis smoke exposure and oral fluid testing” found a swab test can only detect second hand marijuana smoke for about an hour and marijuana use for up about 48 hrs. Claressa had a level of 3.4 ng/ml and the commission’s allowable confirmatory cutoff is 2 ng/ml. The detection limit is 1 ng/ml or parts per billion. It seems the swab test done lacks a reasonable “allowable limit” for THC with second hand smoke as a source of exposure.

“The study referenced above found 4 subjects with “passive cannabis smoke exposure” to have mouth swab concentrations of 3.6 to 26.4 ng/mL after 20 to 50 min of exposure & one subject with 4.2 and 1.1 ng/ml after 50 and 65 min. So the 3.4 ng/ml level Claressa had is BELOW the 3.6 to 26.4 ng/ml range found in the 4 research subjects with passive exposure. 4.2 ng/ml was considered a NEGATIVE result in this study.

“I have not heard of any other state boxing commission that uses mouth swab testing for THC. VADA, Nevada commission and UFC do not even test for marijuana because it is not a PED. Mouth to mouth contact or even drinking from a container after someone who smoked marijuana should be considered as a source.

“Is it possibly time for the Michigan commission to consider using urine as a superior test sample type? Is it not important to establish a reasonable “allowable limit” for THC to rule out the possibility of unfairly penalizing a innocent combat sport athlete with no intent to cheat?“

Conte’s argument is substantial given it highlights how oral swab tests are not the standard method for detecting THC by WADA, and urine samples instead are used to determine marijuana usage. Blood tests too are considered even better in determining the use of marijuana, as THC tends to stay in blood the longest

Moreover, there appears to be a discrepancy between what the UCC considers an allowable limit for THC and what is generally considered an acceptable limit to imply the intentional use of marijuana. According to the study referenced by Conte, non-smokers can easily test between 1.3 to 57.5 ng/ml of THC when interacting with marijuana smokers.

While the UCC considers athletes whose oral tests range past 2 ng/ml a anti-doping violation, this does not appear to be a valid threshold as non-smokers can ingest twenty times that amount without having actually smoked marijuana.

WADA further identifies 150 ng/ml as the threshold to determine actual use of marijuana, which raises some eyebrows given the UCC’s threshold of 2 ng/ml and prompts a thorough and objective investigation into why such a low limit has been set given the possibility of ingesting THC through second-hand smoke.

This seems to pinpoint Clegg’s case against Claressa Shields appears to be largely illegitimate as Shields reportedly successfully passed her Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) test who are known to adopt the testing standards, methods and limits set by WADA.

The addition of unsubstantiated accusations launched towards Shield where she supposedly “engaged in conduct detrimental to a contest or event” appears to be a complaint launched from thin air, as Shields has not been reported to be in any controversial incident following February 2nd.

In fact, this complaint should be further investigated as what has been attributed as some sort of misconduct by Shields is completely left up to interpretation. Video clips surrounding Shields following her February 2nd win depict her interacting with various individuals, often in a celebratory manner, as exemplified by a clip depicting her dancing after entering the dressing room. Moreover, Shields could have contracted second-hand smoke through those she interacted with, which provides a logical explanation for the presence of THC through her oral test―a likelihood supported by Conte who voiced the same.

Most of Shields’ depictions as captured by media portrays her dancing exuberantly with associates accompanied by loud music―which might be the basis for the entire complaint filed against Shields―in celebration of her historic victory over Danielle Perkins that made her become the first women’s undisputed heavyweight champion in the history of the sport. Her dances, while exuberant, seem to be regarded by Clegg as evidence of conduct that she claims is downgrading the sport.

The complaints are highly ironic given prior cases of fighters who actually displayed behavior that negatively impacted the sport as in the case of Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KO’s) both before and after his April 20th match against Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KO’s). Notably, Garcia was not punished in any manner for the conduct he displayed throughout his saga with Haney. Garcia further tested positive for ostarine; an illegal anabolic steroid for which he eventually was suspended.

In comparison, Shields’ only identifiable violation pertains to an extremely low amount of THC detected through an oral swab test that does not appear to be a valid testing standard for detecting THC. The amount [3.4 ng/ml] itself is considered too low to have any impact on performance or behavior according to modern studies conducted in the past several years and does not exceed the threshold of actual marijuana use―20 ng/ml according to Victor Conte.

The accusations filed against Shields regarding her conduct appears even more unfounded than her failed drug test, as complainant Clegg seems to attribute exuberance with conduct that “compromises the integrity of the sport of professional boxing and the safety of professional boxers” given Shields has celebrated in a similar manner multiple times before and no such complaints were filed. Despite the occasion of the match and her historical feat, these lively celebrations by Shields appear to have been heavily misinterpreted by Clegg to paint her as a delinquent who used marijuana and caused too much trouble.

In regard to the complaints, instead of conducting their own investigation into the matter, the WBO’s “show cause” notice seems premature considering the UCC’s own testing standards do not match with the standards by WADA. While marijuana is considered a banned substance, the sanctioning body made their decision based on one apparently outdated oral swab test without examining other tests.

The WBO has also not fully examined the nature of the complaints made by Clegg regarding Shields’ behavior, and appears to have chosen to take the Director at her word rather than conducting their own inquiry into this matter.