Claressa Shields became the first boxer in history to earn the Undisputed World Championship in three different weight classes by scoring a unanimous decision over Danielle Perkins on Sunday, Feb. 2 at Dort Financial Center in Flint, MI.
With the momentous victory, Flint native Shields added the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight belts to a growing collection of accolades.
The atmosphere in the arena was electric as Shields made her ring walk rapping along to the live rhymes of Papoose, “Whoop That Trick” and “The Champ is Here.”
“I was so happy to perform at home,” said Shields. “I couldn’t believe it when I walked out and saw the amount of people who came out to support me. I was so excited. Between my walkout and everything, it was too much. I had to calm myself down and focus on the fight and on Danielle. It was an amazing homecoming.”
Shields wasted little time once the opening bell sounded.
The difference in hand speed was noticeable from the first round as Shields enjoyed a significant advantage in that regard.
Perkins tried to establish the range with her jab to set up a southpaw straight left but Shields’ counterpunching kept Perkins at bay.
One of Shields’ favorite punches, the overhand right was a major factor in this fight as Shields used it to make Perkins pay for overreaching.
Shields wobbled Perkins with a counter overhand right in the third-round. Perkins held on and managed to survive the round but her legs never seemed to fully recover after that.
Shields’s speed and superior ring IQ allowed her to dictate the pace of the fight. By the end of the fight, Perkins was tentative to throw punches due to Shields’ counter right-hand.
With 12 seconds remaining in the final round, Shields capped an unforgettable evening and sent her opponent to the canvas for the first time with a picture-perfect overhand right.
“I felt strong in there,” said Shields. “Danielle Perkins is very strong. She was definitely a problem. My skills and experience got me over it. In the last round when I scored the knockout, she got greedy. I have power. Danielle was just big and strong.”
As Perkins rose to her feet, the final bell sounded, and the two friendly foes engaged in a genuine embrace, displaying the respect that each has shown toward the other throughout the promotion.
The Flint fight fans erupted as Shields was named the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the world.
Shields is now the first female boxer to be crowned Undisputed Heavyweight World Champion and the first fighter male or female, in the four-belt era to be undisputed champion in three different weight classes (Junior Middleweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight).
“Whenever I hit Danielle, especially in the third round when I stunned her and in the 10th round when I dropped her, it was like fireworks going off all over the ring,” said Shields. “Fighting in Flint shows me that the best fans in the world are here. They make a lot of noise, and there is never a quiet round.”
In the co-feature matchup of colossal combatants, 6’6” former Golden Gloves champion Brandon Moore (17-1, 10 KOs) survived a tackle by 6’7” former NCAA offensive lineman Skylar Lacy (8-1-2, 6 KOs) that saw both fighters fall through the ropes and land on the concrete floor to capture the USBA heavyweight crown by eighth-round disqualification.
Lacy, who clinched through much of the title bout and had a point deducted early in the eighth round, leaned in, grabbed Moore one final time and forced both fighters to fall through the ropes and land near the DAZN broadcast team.
With Lacy laying on top of Moore and showing no signs of moving, referee Steve Willis put an end to matters and disqualified the previously unbeaten Indianapolis fighter at 51 seconds of the eighth round.
Prior to the mammoth matchup, undefeated Joseph Hicks (12-0, 7 KOs) became the second Grand Rapids fighter of the night to defeat his 12th consecutive opponent by registering a seventh-round TKO over Keon Papillion (10-1-1, 7 KOs).
Hicks, who previously was named captain of the U.S. Olympic Boxing team before COVID forced the cancellation of the 2020 Games and derailed his dreams of gold, peppered his previously unbeaten opponent with a barrage of unanswered punches late in the eighth causing referee Ansel Stewart to stop the contest at 1:37 of the seventh.
In the first of two consecutive bouts featuring undefeated Michiganders, NABF Lightweight Champion Joseph James Pagan (12-0, 4 KOs) of Grand Rapids, overcame a cut over his left eye in the second round to earn an eight-round unanimous decision (79-73 and 78-74 twice) over Venezuelan Ronal Ron (16-8, 13 KOs) in a non-title bout.
The undefeated 135-pound Pagan, who headlined a DAZN card and recorded a near-shutout over Haskell Rhodes in his last bout from San Juan, Puerto Rico, stood toe to toe against his more experienced foe throughout to defeat his 12th opponent in as many contests.
Prior to the two victories from Grand Rapids brawlers, Caroline Veyre (9-1, 0 KOs) pitched an eight-round shutout (80-72 on all three scorecards) and captured the Women’s WBA Intercontinental Featherweight Championship over Carmen Vargas (5-3-1, 0 KOs).
Ashleyann Lozada (1-0, 0 KOs) won her pro debut by winning every round on the judges scorecards (40-36 three times) over Denise Moran (3-1, 0 KOs).
Flint’s own Leon Lawson III (17-1, 10 KOs) thrilled the hometown fans by stopping Christopher Thompson (9-3, 6 KOs) at 0:34 of the fourth round.
Samantha Worthington (11-0, 7 KOs) remained undefeated by recording an eight-round unanimous decision (79-73, 78-74, and 77-75) over Vaida Masiokaite (10-27-6, 1 KO).
Pryce Taylor (6-0, 4 KOs) opened “Super Fight Sunday” by knocking out Jerell Nettles (4-11, 1 KO).
