Well before she took down Kaye Scott to claim the WBA and WBC middleweight titles, Claressa Shields had to put in some serious work
Shields scored a sixth-round TKO on Saturday night. She rocked Scott with a left hook, and the champion wobbled into the ropes. While the referee allowed the fight to continue, Scott’s corner threw in the towel as Shields poured in more offense
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The unbeaten star is less than a year removed from dispatching of Franchón Crews-Dezurn in the heavyweight division. Getting into the ring with Scott required a significant weight cut
“This was a really hard camp,” Shields said Shields, per ESPN.com. “I cut 38 pounds. I was at 198 pounds and got down to 160. This is the most disciplined I’ve been since the Olympics, I feel like.”
The 31-year-old won gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics as a middleweight, and that’s where she started her pro career. She took the step up to heavyweight in 2024 and beat Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse
Having cemented herself as a top middleweight again, Shields is ready for a fresh challenge. She cited welterweight champion Lauren Price as an opponent she hopes to fight next
Failing that, she’s prepared to take on Tamm Thibeault, who became the IBF and WBO middleweight champ after earning a unanimous decision over Desley Robinson earlier this month
