Doc Delves Into the Life of Female Boxing Champion ‘T-Rex’

By Qimmah Saafir May 13, 2015

A film titled “T-Rex” has been making its rounds on the festival circuit. The feature follows a young Claressa Shields aka T-Rex, beginning in her hometown of Flint, Michigan, at 16 to her becoming the first Olympics gold medalist in women’s boxing at 17. 

“T-Rex,” created by Drea Cooper and Zaxkary Canepari, covers Shields’s training as she becomes the protege of local coach and former boxer Jason Crutchfield, an electrician and former boxer who trains children for free. He becomes a believer in “female boxing” after working with T-Rex.

The film shows Shields use of boxing as an escape from a rough upbringing and dysfunctional household, as well as the aftermath of the Olympic win, when endorsements that are customary for medalists don’t pour in when the athlete is a black woman boxer. 

Read a full review of the documentary here.