‘The Fire Inside’ Isn’t Just A Stirring Sports Drama. It’s ‘An Inspirational Life Movie,’ Too.

Ryan Destiny, Rachel Morrison and Claressa Shields talk about bringing the Olympic boxer’s little-known life story to the silver screen.

At 29 years old, two-time Olympic boxing champion Claressa Shields is already the subject of a biopic.

“It’s a weird feeling,” Shields tells HuffPost, “because everybody gets their biopic when they’re retired or done doing whatever they’re doing, not in the midst of their career.”

“It’s one of those things where I’m like, ‘Wow, whoever would’ve expected this to happen?’” she adds. “Everybody’s like, ‘Are you going to have another movie?’ And I’m just like, ‘Of course, duh.’ This one is just so unique.”

“Unique” is the perfect word to describe Shields’ remarkable journey to becoming one of the greatest women boxers of all time, despite the hardships she endured even after achieving success. Growing up the daughter of a single mother in Flint, Michigan — a city historically plagued with environmental and civic injustices — Shields, nicknamed “T-Rex” for the powerful punches her short arms pack, learned firsthand how to prevail in the face of adversity.

That trait has defined much of her career, from amateur boxing to qualifying for the 2012 Olympic trials to winning her first gold medal for boxing on the world stage (the first American woman to do so) at age 17. However, the biggest fight of Shields’ life didn’t begin until after her extraordinary victory.