This is an online exclusive story from ESPN The Magazines Body Issue 2016. Subscribe today!?And for more from the 2016 Body Issue, check out espn.com/bodyissue,?and pick up a copy on newsstands starting July 8.When Claressa Shields competed at the 2012 London Games, she became the first American female boxer to win a gold medal. Now, with Rio on the horizon, its clear Shields is hungry for more. In a rare break from training, the middleweight fighter sat down with Body Issue reporter Morty Ain to discuss the water crisis in her hometown of Flint, Michigan, and what shes doing to ensure that she nabs another Olympic gold.I got the nickname T-Rex when I was 11 years old. Back when I was younger, I was very skinny and I had short arms, but I used to always be swinging.Im humble and Im confident. I think those words kind of contradict themselves because people always confuse confident with the word cocky. Confident is believing in yourself. Being humble is, even though you believe in yourself and you know what youre capable of, you still work 10 times harder than your opponent to make sure you get the output you want. I train very hard to be able to say that Im going to be a two-time Olympic gold medalist.Boxing gave me self-confidence that I didnt have growing up. When I was young, I was super quiet and I didnt trust anybody. I didnt like having friends. I started boxing when I was 11, but I dont think I started talking much until I was 13. I started coming out of my shell, and I started transforming and I liked the way that I looked and the way that I boxed. Even though I was pretty boyish when I was younger, as each year came on I got more and more feminine. Boxing opened me up and helped me find the person that I am.I was angry for a lot of reasons when I was a child. I was molested and raped. But I channeled all the anger from that into boxing, and I think thats why Im so successful at it. Boxing really helped with that. It calmed me down a lot and gave me discipline and structure.Living in Flint, poverty is an obstacle that you have to fight through. I always had to fend for my brother and sister -- I was always the one to sacrifice my meals so that they could eat. Without that struggle, I dont think I would be as strong as I am.Im fighting for more than just a medal. Im fighting for my family, Im fighting for my future, Im fighting for my city -- to give them some hope and faith, because its so bad in Flint. I always fight harder than I would if I were fighting for just a medal.How people deal with death in Flint is they act like it doesnt exist. Its like an everyday thing there now, and thats not good. I dont ever want to be stuck in a situation where I have to live like that or my family has to live like that. Thats why I sacrifice. Once I win another Olympic gold medal, Im moving my family out of Flint. I have a little brother who is 18, and he can be a victim of gun violence. I have a sister who can maybe get shot. I have a nephew who I dont want to grow up there because he may be shot or killed just because of the gang violence. I dont want that for my family. I dont want that for anybodys family.As the training intensifies, I transform. A week before I fight, I always tell my family and my friends that I cant be around any kids -- Im easily annoyed and I dont like to lose my focus; Im just super freakin in a zone. Then once I walk into the ring, the only thing Im thinking is, Ive trained for almost six weeks, Im pissed. Ive done too much training to lose. Thats where my mind is at: Ive trained too hard, Ive eaten right, I went to bed early, I havent been able to hang out with my friends or my family. Somebody is going to have to pay for that [laughs]. Somebody.Ever since I was 11, my whole life has been about boxing. Everything I do has been about boxing. I played basketball so I could be in shape for boxing. I ran track for boxing. I went to a movie theater to see my first movie when I was 14. I didnt even go to a club until I was 19, not until after I won a gold medal at the Olympics.I decided that after I qualified for this years Olympics I was going to take five days in Florida for myself. Thats the only vacation Ive had in my entire life. Literally.Im like Serena Williams little twin. First of all, we look alike, how our bodies are built. She has a slim waist, big butt, come on -- shes from Michigan!Im training seven to eight hours a day. Im always doing extra. I always stay after [training]. I always hit the bag after, do pushups and crunches after, or I might even go for another run. For some others, itll probably be five or six hours or maybe even four, but for me its seven or eight.One thing I hate is people seeing me tired. Body language is everything. Show this person who is dead tired that you can go another round.Im in the biggest weight class in the Olympics for the women -- Im the 165 pounder. Im the shorter fighter, so I have to make sure my legs are in shape. The advantage for me against the taller girls is that Im very slick, Im very fast and I punch harder than them. Also, my footwork and foot speed allow me to get to them on the inside when theyre moving and running.Im always underweight. I think the biggest I ever got in my career was 171. Right now Im 163 pounds, and I fight at 165. Im always under. Ive never really had to cut weight.I do eat a lot. But you know, man, some days my body is working so hard that Im not even hungry; I just want to go to sleep and rest. You need rest more than food. But once I get up, I do eat a lot.Floyd Mayweather is my favorite fighter of this era. You dont see Floyd respond to everybody; he sticks to his game plan. Everyone wants him to get into the ring and brawl, but hes smart -- he hits people and he dont get hit. Then when he gets out of the ring after 36 minutes of rounds, he still looks fresh -- I love it.For a long time, I thought my nose was pretty big. Id get hit in my nose and Id think, This nose is huge! But now I think Im very beautiful, even though my lips are big too, but whatever, I dont care. My dad and my sister have a big nose too. Im fine with it.Yeah, of course I think Im a little crazy. I think Im a little crazy because some people are terrified to get into the ring and box, but Im always excited [laughs]. Im always like, Lets go! Im ready to fight! Im excited to fight anybody and everybody. When you get into the ring to fight somebody, this is not normal stuff. Its not normal. Its like every day I walk around in my life and Im always ready for a fight. If somebody is like, Hey, I think I can beat you, Im like, Throw on the gloves! Thats a little craziness that I have in me. But otherwise I think Im pretty cool.Some girls will be so scared that they wont even look into my face; theyll look at the ground. You can just sense energy. Some girls will just be super, super nervous. Some girls will be tough. If they are mugging me, I just start laughing, Man, Im about to mess this girl up.I fight everyone like they are the world champion. I always feel like Im the underdog, and thats what makes me fight harder.The first time getting into the ring was when I was 11 and I sparred against a guy. I just remember he hit me in my nose and my eyes got watery. Youre like, What the heck was that? Thats insane. I wasnt used to getting hit in my face. To me, its just not normal.Oh, I won that. That was my first sparring match. I had been boxing for six months and I beat him up. My first time ever getting into the ring, I won. I didnt know how good I was.I think at the age of 15, I knew that I was capable of winning an Olympic gold medal. I knew I had it in the bag then; it was just a matter of time.Some reporters told me that I broke the limits of womens boxing. Nobody goes in there and is super aggressive ... nobody goes in there and tries to kill their opponent -- its always pretty boxing going on, somebody who just wants to win the match. But I go in there to seek and destroy and to win. I feel like I broke barriers doing that, and I made a new definition of womens boxing. I feel like I use beautiful combinations and I remind them of old fighters. I feel like Im a young Sugar Ray Robinson sometimes. I think Im a mixture of him and Joe Louis when I fight.When Im getting ready to go to the ring, you can just look at me and tell that Ive been through a lot. You can just see the pain in my eyes, and you can see that Im about to release it once I get inside the ring. When I have my friends record me walking to the ring, Im looking like, Who the heck is that girl? I look totally different. I even feel like Im taller and stronger and bigger, like Im 6-1, 180 pounds.I want to be a boxing icon, not just for women but for boxing period. To be honest, I want to go down in history as the best womens fighter who ever lived. Right now when you look up who the best womens fighter is you get Laila Ali, Ann Wolfe, Lucia Rijker, Christy Martin. And I feel like Im a different breed. They are all great fighters, but Im different, especially skill-wise. I think boxing has changed and Ive changed with boxing. When you look at film of them and then you look at film of me, I want you to be able to say, Yeah, Claressa was the better fighter. She was the best fighter ever.Fighting is something God wants me to do. Im built the way that I am -- with my shape and my figure, with my muscles - because God blessed me with that, and Im grateful for it. He wants me to be a boxer and to be a fighter. Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Cheap Basketball Jerseys China . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. http://www.cheapbasketballjerseysoutlet.com/ . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Cheap Basketball Jerseys Free Shipping .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Cheap NBA Jerseys China . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. We now know know the make-up of Darren Clarkes Ryder Cup squad that will take on the U.S. at Hazeltine after he named his three wildcard picks at Wentworth on Tuesday. But who are the 12 players bidding to seal a fourth successive win for Europe?We give you the lowdown on the nine players who secured their places automatically, and those who required a captains pick.The qualifiers...Henrik StensonWorld ranking: 4 Season in a sentence: Has usurped Rory McIlroy as Europes highest ranked player thanks to a year in which he has secured his first major triumph and finished second at the Olympics.Rory McIlroyWorld ranking: 5 Season in a sentence: Still Europes biggest name heading to Hazeltine -- if not its highest ranked -- McIlroy has struggled to find his form in 2016 with the Irish Open his only win on either the PGA or European Tour this year.Justin RoseWorld ranking: 10 Season in a sentence: Will arrive at Hazeltine fresh from his gold medal-winning exploits in Rio and keen to continue a fine run in recent Ryder Cups that has seen him win on each of his last two appearances.Danny WillettWorld ranking: 11 Season in a sentence: Started the season like a steam train, winning the Dubai Desert Classic before his breakthrough triumph at the Masters, but has failed to live with newfound expectations.Sergio GarciaWorld ranking: 12 Season in a sentence: Has hit some form since a third-place at the Open de Espana, still looking for his first win.Rafael Cabrera-BelloWorld ranking: 27 Season in a sentence: The Spaniard has climbed the world rankings on the back of five top-five ffinishes in 2016, including at the Olympics.ddddddddddddChris WoodWorld ranking: 28 Season in a sentence: Booked his place in his debut Ryder Cup by winning the BMW PGA Championship, and has enjoyed a steady season.Andy SullivanWorld ranking: 42 Season in a sentence: A familiar face in the top 25 this season, Sullivan will keen to take some encouraging major outings into the Ryder Cup.Matthew FitzpatrickWorld ranking: 48 Season in a sentence: An impressive showing at the Masters, where he finished tied-seventh, was the springboard for his Nordea Masters triumph.The wildcards...Lee WestwoodWorld ranking: 46 Why he was picked:?He has won more Ryder Cups than any other European, with seven, and following nine appearances in total will provide some much-needed experience. The Englishman is also just two Ryder Cup points away from equaling Sir Nick Faldos record.Martin KaymerWorld ranking: 50 Why he was picked:?The two-time major winner has finished on the winning team in all of his three appearances to date -- including sinking the winning put Medinah in 2012 -- and has hit a run of form since April.Thomas PietersWorld ranking: 41 Why he was picked:?At the Made in Denmark tournament, Clarke stood with Pieters on the first tee and said Show me what you can do. He shot an opening-round 62 and finished with three straight birdies to win his third European Tour title in the past 12 months and just edge out Russell Knox for the final wildcard spot. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '