Claressa Shields is a singular fighter. An undisputed champion, she is a multi-weight titlist who has additionally competed in MMA and who will journey for a identify in a fourth section next this day.
She is going to problem Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for the WBC heavyweight championship in Detroit.
The Olympic middleweight gold medal has handiest been gained by way of two girls, Shields in 2012 and 2016, and maximum lately Wales’ Lauren Worth, who triumphed on the Tokyo Video games.
Worth dropped all the way down to welterweight then the Olympics and is handiest seven bouts into her skilled occupation, however has gained the inaugural girls’s British identify and the WBA global identify already.
Shields does no longer not include Worth changing into one among her pace opponents.
“It’s hard to put anything past Olympic champions. She won the Olympics 2021,” Shields informed Sky Sports activities.
“I feel like when you’ve been all over the world and you’ve boxed and you’ve won World championships, it’s kind of destined for you to be great in the pros. I wish her the best of luck.”
They aren’t on a clash route within the speedy pace. Worth has enough of ambitions to grasp at welterweight and Shields is transferring up in weight for the Lepage-Joanisse combat.
However heavyweight is what the WBC cries its 12st 7lbs section, i.e. light-heavyweight (the WBO light-heavyweight identify may also be at the form of their combat).
Shields has operated throughout a number of weight categories, super-welter and super-middle incorporated, however is a herbal middleweight.
Worth’s largest newbie successes had been at middleweight, the place she gained Global and Eu gold medals in addition to the Olympic Video games. Alongside the way in which, she additionally beat a light-heavyweight Global champion at 75kgs.
Shields doesn’t assume their flow weight categories will essentially accumulation them aside.
“She won the Olympics at 165lbs (75kgs) just as I did – two times – and if she ever wants to fight I would love to fight against her too,” Shields stated.
“I believe anything is possible and I really want to fight anybody that wants to fight me. So if Lauren Price keeps winning and comes to 154lbs, 160, 168, we can fight and prove who’s the best Olympic champion.”
Shields’ splendid rival is any other Briton, Savannah Marshall. The American beat Marshall of their 2022 grudge fit. However Marshall is now additionally competing in MMA as she pursues any other accident with Shields.
“I beat her in the UK with 20,000 of her fans. She needs to come to America and fight me in front of 20,000 of my fans and let’s see if she can handle being booed and her national anthem being booed and people telling her she sucks!” Shields declared.
“I would love to fight her again and prove that I’m not just one time better than you, I’m two times better than you either inside the cage and definitely inside the ring. It really doesn’t matter which one.”
However first Shields has a extra speedy job, profitable but any other accolade in opposition to Lepage-Joanisse.
“I’m going for my fourth division,” she stated. “It’s going to be big and it’s going to be history-making.”