Claressa Shields is now a three-division undisputed champion and the only boxer ever to achieve the accomplishment, male or female.
Shields won a 10-round unanimous decision Saturday over Danielle Perkins at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. The scores were 100-89, 97-92 and 99-90. Shields made her first defense of her WBC heavyweight title and obtained the IBF and WBO heavyweight titles.
Shields, 29, who was accompanied to the ring by her recording artist boyfriend Papoose, dominated a noticeably bigger fighter.
For Shields, whose life has been made into a movie, it was fitting that she saved the best for the last 10 seconds of the fight, when she dropped Perkins with a memorable right hand. Shields noted she had hurt her shoulder going into the fight, but refused to believe the fight wouldn’t happen.
“It feels unbelievable to be honest,“ Shields said after the fight about her victory. “I didn’t want to call the fight off because I had asked God to give me a big fight in my hometown.”
Shields started fast, displaying her hand speed, which was the story of the early portion of the fight. Perkins adjusted as she waited to try and counter Shields with a straight left from the southpaw stance, looking to change the fight. Instead, Shields would land a huge overhand right hand that would leave Perkins on unsteady legs. After a clinch on the ropes, Perkins, from Brooklyn, New York, would fall down as referee Benjamin Rodriguez assisted her in standing up. With the crowd anticipating a knockout and a historic moment for the city of Flint, Perkins showed her toughness by having a solid but uneventful fourth round, which tempered expectations of an imminent stoppage.
The middle rounds were controlled by Shields, who, under the instruction of her trainer John David Jackson, fought strategically. In the seventh, Shields put Perkins on the ropes and unleashed a flurry of straight punches only for Perkins to charge back and take the center of the ring before the bell rung. In the final rounds, Perkins began to get physical, taking risks coming forward, but using her size on Shields. The final round saw Perkins putting Shields on the ropes as Perkins looked to land a left hand. Shields was often able to counter with a right hand of her own. With 10 seconds left, an overhand right landed that sent Perkins down. While naysayers might point to the lack of depth in the heavyweight division, Shields has become the undisputed champion.
After a historic night, what is next for Shields? She outlined her plans after the win.
“I want to fight two more times this year,” Shields said. “I want to fight against Franchon-Crews [Dezurn]. I want to do a rematch with Hannah Gabriels. I would love to bring Savannah Marshall to the USA and tap that ass again and it’s always on the table if Cris Cyborg or Laila Ali want to fight.”
Shields is now 16-0 (3 KOs), while Perkins loses her first pro fight and now is 5-1 (2 KOs).
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