Tag: Claressa Shields

Good, bad, worse: Claressa Shields’ dazzling accomplishment

Claressa Shields’ ability to win titles in three divisions in only 10 fights is historic.

GOOD

One criticism of women’s boxing I hear a lot is that the talent pool isn’t deep. And that problem is particularly prevalent at the higher weights, beginning in the divisions in which Claressa Shields does her thing.

I would respond to that by saying that the depth of talent has improved over the past decade. And I would add that there are a number of excellent fighters at the top.

Those are the opponents Shields has dominated in her short career, including Ivana Habazin on Friday night in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) overwhelemed Habazin (20-4, 7 KOs) to win a near-shutout decision and two vacant junior middleweight titles. That gives her major belts in three divisions in only 10 fights, which is a record regardless of gender. Vasiliy Lomachenko and Kosei Tanaka turned the trick in 12 fights.

The achievement is remarkable. The two-time Olympic champion pursued the best possible opponents from day one and has been nothing short of spectacular.

The question now: Is there anyone who can give Shields a challenge?

The obvious answer would be Cecilia Braekhus, the unbeaten 38-year-old star from Norway who has said she wants to fight Shields. The American would have a natural size advantage – Braekhus is a welterweight – but neither fighter is a big puncher, which means the better boxer probably would win.

Let’s hope it happens. Shields needs a next-level challenge. And women’s boxing needs its superfight.

 

BAD

Jesse Hart (left) said he fought Joe Smith Jr. with an injured right hand. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

I hate when fighters make excuses – even when they have some legitimacy.

Jesse Hart said after he lost a split decision to Joe Smith Jr. on Saturday night in Atlantic City that he fought with an injured right hand. The orthodox boxer said he suffered the injury in his previous fight, a victory over Sullivan Barrera in June, and aggravated it both during training and early in the fight Saturday.

I’ll take Hart’s word for it. His hand bothered him. And I understand a fighter’s instinct is to explain if he believes an unusual factor played a role in a poor performance.

I also want to give Hart some credit for the manner in which he couched post-fight comments he made to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

He said: “I don’t want to make no excuses because Joe fought a great fight. I hurt the hand in my last sparring session and thought I could overcome that. Credit to Joe for doing for what he had to do.”

Hart might not have wanted to make an excuse but he did, which diminishes Smith’s important accomplishment.

Hart chose to fight with a tender hand. It didn’t work out. I wish he had left it at that.

 

WORSE

Smith  (right) dominated Hart but one judge scored the fight for Hart. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

One problem with a bad scorecard is that it can permanently give the wrong impression of a fight. Smith handled Hart easily yet had to settle for a split-decision victory because of a baffling card.

Joseph Pasquale and Eugene Grant scored the fight 98-91 and 97-92, respectively. That reflects what happened in the ring. James Kinney somehow had Hart winning 95-94.

I always ask myself when I see a scorecard that seems out of line: Is there a way it can be justified? For example, maybe several rounds could’ve gone either way. Or maybe a judge rewards one style over another, which can be legitimate sometimes.

In this case, I couldn’t come up with a logical reason to score the fight for Hart. Smith pushed the action from beginning to end. He threw more punches and landed more punches than Hart, including a big edge in power shots, according to both the eye and CompuBox. And Smith put Hart down.

The only edge that Hart had was in jabs and neither fighter threw many of those. The closest the fight should’ve been scored if you give Hart every benefit of the doubt was 96-93 in Smith’s favor. 95-94 – six rounds to four – for Hart is outrageous.

I won’t call for Kinney to be banished from boxing, as Bob Arum, the promoter of both fighters, did.

“That judge should be banned from ever scoring a fight,” Arum said. “He should be investigated and banned. And I promote Hart! I mean, s—, how can you ever score that fight for Jesse Hart? I mean, it’s not even an argument.”

I agree with the investigation part. Kinney has some explaining to do.

Jaron Ennis’ most important quality right now might be patience

Jaron Ennis’ spectacular performance against Bakhtiyar Eyubov on Friday was another example of his unusual ability.

Jaron Ennis wants to lure the top welterweights into the ring. Instead, he might be scaring them away.

Ennis’s annihilation of supposedly capable Bakhtiyar Eyubov – two first-round knockdowns, fourth-round stoppage, utter domination – on the Claressa Shields-Ivana Habazin card Friday in Atlantic City was only the latest sensational performance from the rising young star.

Ennis is now 25-0, with 23 knockdowns. And 13 of those knockdowns have come in his last six fights. Whew.

“We knew he was coming to fight and bring pressure so we mixed it up,” said Ennis, who landed 47 percent of his power shots against Eyubov (14-2-1, 12 KOs). “He was a good fighter but he wasn’t really that strong.  I was getting hit a little too much but that’s how we did it to get the knockout. We were just setting him up for power shots.  I just had to calm down, that’s all.  I was too hyped. Once I calmed down and got into my rhythm that was it.

“He was taking a lot of punishment. He definitely was a great fighter though.  I appreciate him taking the fight because a lot of guys don’t want to fight me.”

Why would they?

Ennis is a classic example of great risk with relatively little gain, as he is still building his name and earning power. In other words, he might be too dangerous for the top 147-pounders at the moment.

If he continues to win, particularly in such an impressive manner, they’ll have to fight him eventually. And the Philadelphian has time even if he’s becoming impatient. He’s only 22 years old.

And promotional affiliations shouldn’t be an impediment when the time comes. Ennis is tied to respected manager-turned-promoter Cameron Dunkin, who presumably could work with anyone.

Ennis might not fight a Top 5 welterweight just yet but he’s likely to face a stiffer test next time out, which would be another step toward what seems to be inevitable stardom for the young fighter.

As he’ll tell you, he’s not going anywhere.

“We have been wanting all the guys,” Ennis said.  “They keep running.  They can’t run no more.  I’m right here.”

Claressa Shields makes history with near shutout of Ivana Habazin

Claressa Shields defeated Ivana Habazin by a near-shutout 10-round decision to win major titles in a third weight division Friday night.

Claressa Shields has accomplished a great deal in 10 professional fights.

The two-time Olympic champion defeated Ivana Habazin by a near-shutout 10-round decision to win major titles in a third weight division – junior middleweight – Friday night at Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Shields became the fastest to become a three-division champion. Vasiliy Lomachenko did it in 12 fights.

She had previously won titles at super middleweight and then middleweight before moving down to junior middleweight. She still holds the 160-pound title.

“This feels great. I did it in 10 fights,” Shields said. “Now I’m No. 1, the fastest boxer in history to become a three-division world champion.”

Three-division champion Claressa Shields seemingly makes history every time she fights. AP Photo / Matt Rourke

The matchup had generated a lot of attention for the wrong reasons.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) was scheduled to make her 154-pound debut against her Croatian rival in August but the fight was postponed after Shields was injured. Then the bout, rescheduled for Oct. 5, was canceled after Habazin’s 68-year-old trainer James Ali Bashir was attacked at the weigh-in the day before the fight. Shields’ brother Artis J. Mack was later arrested on assault charges.

Once the fighters stepped into the ring, however, it wasn’t much of a contest. Shields outboxed, outworked and generally had her way with Habazin (20-4, 7 KOs) from the opening bell.

In the sixth round, a left hook to the body put Habazin down. She was able to get up and continue but, as in the rest of the fight, she landed punches too infrequently to make the fight competitive. She landed only 49 total shots, less than five per round, according to CompuBox.

The judges scored it 100-90, 99-89 and 100-89.

“I just want to become a better fighter,” Shields said. “That’s all. I want to grow women’s boxing. I want to share a card with Deontay Wilder and Errol Spence. Andre Ward said, ‘Sis, take her to the body.’ I was throwing all body shots in the first minute and then boom, she went down.”

Shields has said she plans to give Mixed Martial Arts a try. She might as well. It seems no one in boxing can give her a fight.

In a preliminary bout, rising young welterweight star Jaron Ennis (25-0, 22 KOs) stopped an overmatched Bakhtiyar Eyubov (14-2-1, 12 KOs) 34 seconds into the fourth round of a scheduled 10-round fight.

Ennis battered Eyubov in the opening round, putting the Houston-based Kazakhstani down twice, and never let up. The Philadelphian was pounding his helpless prey when the referee finally decided that he had taken enough punishment and stopped the fight.

Some thought this would be Ennis’ biggest test. If that was a test, the other 147-pounders should be on notice.

Claressa Shields plans to turn a page against Ivana Habazin

Claressa Shields said people will forget about Ivana Habazin after she knocks out the Croatian on Friday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Claressa Shields is fighting to move on. Fighting to forget, too.

Shields gets that chance Friday against Ivana Habazin in a junior middleweight bout that was rescheduled after a brawl as ugly as any in 2019 at a weigh-in on Oct. 4, the day before they were supposed to fight in Flint, Michigan, Shields’ hometown.

Four months later, they have moved on to a new day and a new zip code, Atlantic City, New Jersey. They fight on Showtime.

“Everyone who was in Flint and knows about the incident that happened knows it’s not something I have a history of doing,’’ Shields (9-0, 2 KOs) said Tuesday at news conference in New York. “I don’t do stuff outside the ring.’’

But the memory of that brawl lingers. Hard feelings remain. Habazin’s manager and trainer, 68-year-old James Ali Bashir, was seriously injured by a reported sucker punch. He underwent surgery for facial fractures. Shields’ brother, Artis Mack, was charged with assault.

“I’ve been thinking about this since October and I have more of an incentive now given what happened,” Habazin (20-3, 7 KOs) said. “I feel like I’m fighting for James Ali Bashir, as well as for my own pride and respect. I’m also fighting for my country. I want to make Croatia proud that I am their daughter, and I feel that I now have their full support.’’

There’s also incentive for Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who has never been shy about what she thinks of herself or her opposition. She called herself the GWOAT – the greatest woman of all time – on Tuesday. She also expressed her contempt for Habazin.

“One of the things she said that was really disrespectful was that I didn’t make weight for October 4,’’ Shields said.  “Don’t believe the lies. I made 154 pounds and I’m going to be a three-division world champion come Friday. Ivana doesn’t stand a chance.

“I’m sorry, I’m just going to keep it real. She’s not as skilled as Christina Hammer. She worked her way up, but once a quitter, always a quitter.

“Once the fight is over, she’s going to be a blast from the past. They won’t be talking about the incident in Flint. They may remember it, but her? They won’t even remember her name after I beat her down on Friday.”

Claressa Shields fit, focused going into Ivana Habazin fight

Claressa Shields has remained fit in spite of two postponements leading up to her showdown with Ivana Habazin on Jan. 20.

Claressa Shields had an unusual year in 2019, one marked by both success and tumult.

The two-time Olympic champion started off well, easily outpointing Christina Hammer in a battle of unbeaten middleweights in April. Little did she know that she wouldn’t fight again last year.

She was scheduled to make her 154-pound debut against her Croatian rival in August but the fight was postponed after Shields was injured. Then the fight, rescheduled for Oct. 5, was canceled after Habazin’s 68-year-old trainer James Ali Bashir was attacked at the weigh-in the day before the fight. Shields’ brother Artis J. Mack was later arrested on assault charges.

Habazin (20-3, 7 KOs) still wanted the fight, however. So here are again: The two are scheduled to fight on Jan. 10 at Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City on Showtime.

Shields (9-0, 2 KOs) is eager to have a big 2020.

Claressa Shields (left) and Ivana Habazin are pictured at a news conference last August. They’ll finally fight on Jan. 10. AP Photo / Carlos Osorio

“I really have just one main resolution for the new year – no compromising,” Shields said. “That goes for both my personal and professional life. I also want to get closer to God and stay undefeated. I was going to say stop cursing also, but that’s just not happening.”

Shields, who trains with coach John David Jackson in Miami, evidently has not compromised on her conditioning.

She has remained active in spite of what amounts to two postponements leading up to Jan. 10. That included not going home to Flint, Michigan, for the holidays. Her focus has been on maintaining her dominance in the ring.

“I made 154 pounds back in October before the cancellation,” said Shields. “After our fight was cancelled, I stayed active and only put on about 10 pounds. I’ve been down in Florida for the last six or seven weeks. It’s been hard work. I’ve pushed myself and I’m not taking Habazin lightly. I want the knockout because Ivana talks too much. I’m staying focused on being focused, and not letting anyone throw me off by talking nonsense.

“I don’t eat meat anymore. I haven’t in over three months, so my body is more toned now. I actually have a six-pack already with just a little more weight to lose. I think people are going to be surprised at the 154-pound version of me. I’m going to be very strong and very fast because I’ve basically had five months to prepare and to get ready for her specifically.”

And she doesn’t regret her decision to stay in Florida during the holidays.

“I saved a lot of money by not going home for Christmas, that’s for sure,” he said. “But I still spoke with all my family and connected with everyone. I have a very strict diet in camp and I actually trained on Christmas. I consider my diet more of a life plan in general, and I have my days where I’ll splurge, but I stay disciplined.”

That’s one reason she has been so successful.

Claressa Shields’ promoter invites Amanda Nunes to boxing champion’s next title fight

Claressa Shields’ promoter, Dmitriy Salita, says the plan is to invite Amanda Nunes to Shields fight vs. Ivana Habazin on Jan. 10.

[autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] was in attendance to watch [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] defend her UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 245. And, if things go according to plan for the world boxing champion’s promoter, the two-division UFC women’s champion could soon return the favor.

Shields’ promoter Dmitriy Salita said that Shields’ camp will be extending an invitation to UFC featherweight and bantamweight champ Nunes to attend Shields’ light middleweight title fight against Ivana Habazin on Jan. 10, where she will attempt to be the fastest boxer to capture a world title in a third weight class.

Shields, who said she’s willing to fight Nunes in both boxing and MMA bouts, was invited by UFC president Dana White to watch “The Lioness” defend her 135-pound title against Germaine de Randamie in Las Vegas earlier this month.

And now Salita hopes Nunes will accept their invitation to watch Shields compete in the boxing ring, so the Brazilian can get a taste of her world.

“It was great for Claressa to go see Amanda fight live and that created a lot of interest,” Salita told MMA Junkie. “We’d like to invite Amanda to Claressa’s next fight, which is going to be on Jan. 10. Hopefully she can show up and see Claressa first hand. It’s a work in progress – the media is interested, the fans are interested and, from the feedback we’ve received from multiple media sources, you can see how many people will write about it.”

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Nunes, who had previously been on a run of demolishing former champions via knockout, adopted a grapple-heavy approach in her rematch with de Randamie. And, in the post-fight press conference following her unanimous decision victory, Nunes said that if Shields wants to fight her, she should come to her world, rather than vice versa.

But Salita thinks that proposition is unreasonable, considering that Shields has no experience in the grappling arts. In addition, Shields would need significant time to train for what would be her first MMA fight.

“Obviously, Amanda said what she said about fighting Claressa in a UFC fight but here’s the big difference,” Salita said. “There is no part of boxing that involves wrestling, that involves grappling. A big part of the UFC is striking, and Amanda is one of the best, if not the best, striker in the women’s game. So Amanda will be in her territory being a striker fighting another striker in Claressa. In the UFC, it wouldn’t really be Claressa’s territory because she has no experience in grappling, that type of grappling or kicking or any of that stuff.”

With White looking to expand to Zuffa Boxing, and inviting Shields to a UFC event, it seems clear that the UFC is interested. But it may depend on the fans generating enough buzz to persuade Nunes to accept a boxing match with the two-time Olympic champion, but Salita is already seeing interest grow on social media.

“Even on my YouTube channel, which has many of Claressa’s fights, most of the comments have been on the Nunes clash so it’s pretty awesome that there is fan interest and the fans are responding in a positive way and something like this brings boxing fans and UFC fans together,” said Salita. “I think it’s so big that non-combat sports fans would be interested as well.”

But first, Shields has business to attend to as she takes on Habazin next month. Also on that card is Alicia Napoleon-Espinosa, who attempts to unify the women’s super middleweight world titles against Elin Cederroos, and should Napoleon-Espinosa and Shields both prevail, Salita expects them to square off next.

So, timeline-wise, Salita says we could potentially be looking at a Nunes vs. Shields boxing match by the end of 2020.

“In the ideal world, Claressa will fight Amanda sometime before the end of the year,” he said. “So I think sometime next fall, late time in fall would be the perfect time. By that time, I believe that both of these champions, the name is going to progress and grow bigger and the popularity is going to be there.

“If it happens, I believe it will be the biggest women’s match, boxing or UFC, of all time, and something in the likes of Mayweather-McGregor,” he continued. “If it can happen, it would really be tremendous, not only for the sports world, but also culturally and socially. I think it’ll have a tremendous, positive effect on the growth of women’s sports not only in the United States but throughout the whole world.”

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Claressa Shields: Amanda Nunes fight would be one of the biggest in boxing history

Claressa Shields thinks a boxing match with Amanda Nunes would be one of the biggest in history.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] thinks a boxing match with [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] would be one of the biggest in the sport’s history.

The undisputed world middleweight boxing champion was in attendance for UFC featherweight and bantamweight champ Nunes’ successful 135-pound title defense vs. Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245.

Shields and her manager have been in talks with UFC president Dana White on potential crossover fights, and Shields thinks that a fight with Nunes would be massive.

“You know what he (White) said, he said that Amanda would do anything,” Shields told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage at T-Mobile Arena. “She feels she’s – she is the GWOAT in MMA, and I’m the GWOAT in boxing. It would be one of the biggest matches in boxing history. I think that you’ve never seen two women who are young, in their prime, hungry and who just don’t want to lose so I think that me and her facing each other, would be one of those fights that people really see fireworks and stuff like that.”

Nunes didn’t seem too keen on boxing Shields, and in her UFC 245 post-fight press conference, said if Shields wants to fight her, she should come to her world.

But Shields is willing to do both.

“Of course for me, boxing is my passion, I would love to do it in the ring but, I’m also a fair person. Like I’m fair game, if she comes to my world, I’ll be more than welcome to come to her world.”

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For now, she is scheduled to take on Ivana Habazin on Jan. 10, where she attempts to win a world title in a third division, light middleweight.

So Shields expects to face Nunes in a boxing match sometime mid-2020, followed by an MMA fight a year later.

“Mid next year, end of next year, MMA match can happen a year after that,” Shields said.

“It’s just about whenever we get a deal signed and sealed then let me know how much time I have to get ready to get inside the octagon and I’m not talking about six months, or a year but give me like actual time where I can have a chance – I feel like I have a chance now but once we go to the ground and stuff, I have to learn that, and I know that. Me being an olympic athlete, I know that I can learn different – a different sport and catch on quicker than just a regular person.”

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Spinning Back Clique: What’s next for Usman, Covington; is Khabib-McGregor 2 on the horizon?

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 7 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” react to what transpired at UFC 245 and preview what’s to come for a few big names in 2020.

Show rundown:

  • [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] defended his welterweight title in the main event of UFC 245, downing bitter rival [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] in the fifth round of an incredibly competitive fight. Afterward, Usman expressed more interest in facing [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] next rather than [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]. What makes more sense?
  • Meanwhile, Covington’s rise to the top has been one of scorched earth, and many fans and fighters were clearly happy to see him lose. That said, his performance was quite impressive in the fight, so where does he go from here?
  • In the night’s co-main, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] claimed gold by scoring an impressive decision win over former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]. It appears an instant rematch is on the horizon, but is there a possibility that’s not the right move?
  • [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] picked up yet another victory and remains a UFC dual champion. The only problem? It doesn’t seem there’s a line of contenders waiting for her to face. Boxing gold medalist [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] has expressed some interest in trying her hand at MMA, but Nunes doesn’t seem to want to reciprocate by giving it a go at boxing, so what’s next for “The Lioness”?
  • UFC 245 was the final UFC pay-per-view of the year, so it’s natural to start taking a look at 2020. UFC president Dana White has already started laying out plans for a potential rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, but “The Eagle” is saying that’s not going to happen. Who’s right?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 7 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

Amanda Nunes not interested in boxing Claressa Shields: ‘Come to my world’ instead

“I’m going to wrestle the (expletive) out of you and finish you with a jiu-jitsu submission.”

LAS VEGAS – Contrary to most MMA fighters, [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] is actually not that interested in boxing.

Nunes (19-4 MMA, 12-1 UFC), the UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion, successfully defended her 135-pound title for the fifth time over the weekend with a unanimous decision win over Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245.

One person who was watching closely was boxing world champ [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag], who was actually flown in by UFC president Dana White to watch the fights cageside. Shields’ side has expressed interest in facing Nunes twice, in both a boxing match and an MMA fight.

But it appears the UFC double champ is game for only one.

“I’m an MMA fighter. Why she wants to take me from my sport?” Nunes said at the UFC 245 post-fight news conference. “If she wants to fight me, come to my world. It doesn’t make any sense. I respect her as a boxer, but I’m an MMA fighter. I don’t like to fight boxing. I like MMA. I like what I did today. If she handles that for five rounds, come see me.”

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After surviving the early onslaught, de Randamie started finding some success on the feet before Nunes used her grappling to take over the fight. De Randamie had no answer for Nunes’ takedowns, and Nunes wonders how Shields would want to fight her after what transpired Saturday night.

“She saw tonight. I think she’s not gonna want anything to do with this,” Nunes said. “She wants to see me, I’m going to wrestle the (expletive) out of you and finish you with a jiu-jitsu submission. I want to see how she’s going to feel.”

Shields did say that she’d need more than six months to a year in order to prepare for an MMA fight with Nunes, but Nunes thinks it’s going to be way more than that for her to adapt.

“Six months to learn how to defend a takedown? Germaine six years, she didn’t even learn how to defend a takedown,” Nunes said. “You guys saw tonight, like don’t even listen to this girl, guys.”

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