‘Be a champion of your own life,’ boxing star urges

Boxing champ Claressa Shields got the nickname T-Rex when she was 11 years old.

Other kids would taunt the knobby-kneed youngster from Flint, Michigan, who insisted that she was going the Rocky route.

“I was very skinny and had short arms, but I was always swinging,” Shields says, recalling the childhood taunts. “I was called T-Rex, which wasn’t the worst of it. Later, I was told that no one respects women boxers. That I would never get any fights. That they wouldn’t put me on TV.

“Two Olympic gold medals later and I’ve done something no other American boxer has ever done,” she continues. “But I still wake up in the morning and do what I tell others to do each day: Open your eyes and say, ‘I ain’t done yet.’ ”

Her next act, “The Fire Inside,” hit the big screen on Christmas Day. The biopic is an inspirational story of how Shields conquered the odds with a pair of boxing gloves and a positive mindset.

Ryan Destiny plays Shields from her early days growing up in the Midwest to ring renown. She’s motivated by tough-love coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), who pushes Shields past all limits to become an Olympic champion.

“I’m telling my story because I want others who have felt broken to know that they can make it,” says Shields, who acted as an adviser on a film that is sweeping awards season early nominations.

The professional boxer and mixed martial artist, who holds multiple world championships, plus won gold in the women’s middleweight division at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, just takes it all in stride.

The 29-year-old shares her good life tips:

Find your fire

Shields says we all have untapped power lurking inside. “I do have that fighter in me. That ferocious energy,” she says. “Find your fire. It will make you unstoppable.”

Fighting chance

“I had to learn how to take care of myself because I had no one to protect me,” she says, explaining why she took up fighting. Her father, Bo, who had fought in underground leagues, introduced Shields to boxing. At 11, she met her coach and trainer Crutchfield. “It was my grandmother who encouraged me not to accept anything different from the sport because of my gender,” Shields says.

Star power

When Hollywood came calling, Shields was ready. “Somebody reached out to me two months before my second Olympics and said, ‘We want to do a movie about your life. We’re huge fans,’ ” she recalls. “I was like, ‘OK, which part of my life, because my life isn’t over yet. My price goes up after I win the gold medal again!’ We negotiated for about a year. I did win the Olympics the second time around and called my lawyer. I said, ‘Get the numbers right.’ I even Googled what movie deals are supposed to look like.”

Show everything

Shields was adamant that the film show her entire life — the ups and downs. “I said, ‘Don’t leave any of the bad stuff out. Put it all in there,’” she says. “I didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me. I didn’t want to feel sorry for myself during the tough times. I did want a reminder of how far I’ve come. We all need those reminders, so we can be proud of ourselves for overcoming.”

Get involved

Shields sought an active role in making “The Fire Inside,” meeting early on with Barry Jenkins, who wrote the screenplay. “We talked for hours to make sure he got everything right,” Shields says. “We talked until he said, ‘OK, I got it.’ Two weeks later, he sent the first script with a note that said, ‘Let us know.’ I said, ‘I’m not one to bite my tongue.’ … I read it and it was a great script. I answered a few questions. And then I went to the gym and did my training until my bones hurt. You never take your eyes off the prize.”

Get back up

“People think life should be easy. When it gets hard, people want to quit or give up,” she says. “That’s not the way. It’s true that you will go through stuff, but what really matters is how you get up. I’m down one day and tell myself, ‘The next day, it’s time to get up.’ … If you quit, you miss out on your life. Everyone doesn’t get a biopic, but anyone can decide not to quit.”

Believe in yourself

“I truly believe in miracles,” Shields says. “I want to do what it takes to help others believe in themselves, which is the real miracle of life. You must champion yourself. … It’s the only way to feel rejuvenated each day. Find the reasons why you’re winning at life. They are there.”

‘We’re elastic’

“I know what it’s like to step back into a ring and get hit in the head once, twice, three times,” she says. “It’s not how many times you get hit or fall, but how many times you find your feet again and get back up. … You have to take your licks, but we’re elastic in life. You can bounce up. Re-mold. Your strength comes from how many times you rise. Don’t shrink. Be a champion of your own life.”