Claressa Shields has secured her place in boxing historical past.
A decade in the past she grew to become the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic gold medals.
As knowledgeable she grew to become an undisputed world champion at super-welter and middleweight (twice).
Last 12 months Shields established herself as the final trailblazer when she grew to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in ladies’s boxing.
In that regard she has even shocked herself. “Heavyweight was never in my plans,” Shields informed Sky Sports.
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Claressa Shields made an unforgettable entrance to the ring for her struggle in opposition to Savannah Marshall.
“Being at that weight class, I simply have to maintain exhibiting my ability, maintain exhibiting my pace, maintain exhibiting my energy.
“I feel like it’s my job to show that all the weight classes of women’s boxing are entertaining. That we all got skills, from heavyweight to flyweight, strawweight, we all got hands, we all can fight, we all have skill.”
Her standing as the undisputed heavyweight champion is an announcement in itself.
“Adding undisputed heavyweight world champion to Claressa Shields’ name has definitely broadened my brand. I can say I’m an American heavyweight champion and when you think of American heavyweight champion you think of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield amongst those greats. Just to have my name added to that on the women’s side it’s still just really big and really great,” she mentioned.
“And to be the first heavyweight undisputed women’s champion in boxing history. I think that I was already Black history enough. Now I’m just history all over, with that. I’m with the likes of Jack Johnson now, who was the first Black heavyweight champion
“So I’m the first Black ladies’s heavyweight champion in boxing. I actually embrace that and I would like to maintain defending my titles and I’m simply sporting it robust, you understand how I ought to.”
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Unified welterweight champion Lauren Price is focusing on a future struggle with pound-for-pound celebrity Claressa Shields.
Shields beat her nice rival from the amateurs, Savannah Marshall in an undisputed middleweight title struggle. At heavyweight she handed first defeats to the beforehand unbeaten Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse, Danielle Perkins and Lani Daniels.
On Sunday in Detroit she’ll rematch Franchon Crews-Dezurn, whom Shields beat after they had been each making their skilled debuts in 2016.
“She’s top at her weight class, at 168lbs. She beat the heavy hitter Shadasia Green, who everybody said is the queen of that division,” Shields mentioned.
“I know she’s going to come, she’s going to bring it, she’s more familiar with me than anybody else.
“She’s a high contender and he or she continues to get higher and he or she at all times needs to win. You know that whenever you struggle in opposition to Franchon, you are going to get bumps, you are going to get bruises. You might get thrown on the floor. Franchon is a tough and rugged fighter and he or she’s very skilled.
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Claressa Shields secured a historic victory as she received the first ladies’s MMA bout to be held in Saudi Arabia, on her return to the octagon for the first time since 2021.
“She’s still a top contender.”
But Shields added: “I’m the cream of the crop. I haven’t had any close fights so I can’t say how this fight will be.
“If I’m too good for personal good, I’m solely going to get higher. So there’s nothing I can do about that. I like profitable unanimously. I like knocking ladies out. I like dominating. I believe it seems to be nice on my resume. I do not like having shut fights.”
Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper reside on Sky Sports on Sunday April 5. Tickets available here
