Flint street to be named in honor of boxing champion Claressa Shields

Flint, MI– A portion of one Flint street is about to become the greatest of all time with a new honorary street sign.

A one-block stretch of Spencer Street between Saginaw Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be named for Flint’s own boxing champion, Olympic gold medalist, and G.W.O.A.T. (Greatest Woman Of All Time) Claressa Shields. 

The Flint City Council voted to approve a resolution authorizing the honorary street sign in her name during the council meeting on Oct. 11. 

The resolution, brought to council by Mayor Sheldon Neeley, states that Shields “has made a significant contribution to the city of Flint through civic, cultural, and humanitarian efforts.” 

Shields has been boxing since she was a youth at Berston Field House, and has gone on to be an undefeated boxing champion, as well as an undefeated MMA champion as of this summer.

The mayor is allowed two honorary street titles per term in office, and Shields is now one of them. 

One public speaker, A.C. Dumas, said he wanted to make sure the streets given honorary names don’t become blighted.

“If you are going to do honorary street name changes, you need to make sure those streets are kept up,” he said. 

The council vote was unanimous to approve the honorary street sign. 

“Naming the street after a young lady who has done so well for herself, and for her family, and for the city of Flint, I would like to see us approve this tonight,” said Councilman Herbert Winfrey. 

Councilman Santino Guerra said this was something he’d like to see get done in the third ward before he leaves office. 

After the vote, Councilman Eric Mays offered words of congratulations to Shields. 

“Let me say congratulations to Claressa Shields. I pray and hope for her to be better than she already is, and I just take my hat off to her and her accomplishments,” Mays said. “And I wish that the discrimination in boxing as it relates to men and women was more equitable. And I look to see the Flint native be blessed by God in her career as she continues in my prayers to be successful.”