Claressa Shields notched another win in her storied boxing career, dropping three weight classes to take on Kaye Scott in a middleweight clash. In doing so, Shields, who is also the undisputed heavyweight champion, reclaimed the WBA and WBC middleweight titles in the rout.
Claressa Shields, 31, returned to the middleweight division where she was formerly its undisputed champion to face Kaye Scott, a game but largely untested fighter, who stood toe to toe with Shields.
Scott threw heavy shots, but Shields’ accuracy, power, and strong left hook overwhelmed Scott. Impressively, Scott, 42, won the WBC and WBA titles back in December in a war with Olivia Curry.
Entering the sixth round, Shields forced Scott’s corner to throw in the towel before she suffered more damage from the heavy-hitting Flint native. In a post-fight chat reported by ESPN, Shields gave credit to her opponent.
“I was actually just trying to figure her out,” Shields said. “She was stronger than what I thought. She was very strong, and I knew that with me cutting the weight that I cut that I didn’t want to exert too much early. So I was trying to make sure I could deal with her strength and not get caught with nothing crazy because I’m not as strong as I feel at 175 [pounds].”
Claressa Shields is eyeing a further drop in weight, calling out welterweight champion Lauren Price, and also Tamm Thibeault, who holds the WBO and IBF middleweight titles.
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