Tag: Ivana Habazin

Claressa Shields poised to make boxing history again on Friday

Claressa Shields is poised to make boxing history again when she faces Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday.

Claressa Shields has already made quite a bit of history in her career, winning world titles in three divisions in only 10 fights.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be shooting for another achievement when she faces Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday in Flint, Mich., Shields’ hometown. She is trying to become the first fighter of either gender to hold all four major belts in a second weight class.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) and Dicaire (17-0, 0 KOs) on Thursday made weight for their junior middleweight title-unification showdown, Shields weighing 153.6 pounds and Dicaire 152.6. The limit is 154.

“I can’t wait to make history again on May 5,” Shields said. “Fighting in Flint in front of all my fans has been a dream of mine since turning pro. Having the opportunity to make history by fighting for the undisputed title in a second weight division is something I’m very proud of.

“Fighting against undefeated IBF 154-pound champion Marie-Eve Dicaire continues my quest to fight the very best in women’s boxing.”

Of course, Dicaire, a southpaw from Quebec, Canada, has her own opportunity to become an undisputed champion.

“For me, this is a dream come true,” she said. “I will be prepared the best I can be and I am ready to leave everything in the ring to win the fight.”

Shields won the WBC and WBO 154-pound titles with her unanimous-decision victory over Ivana Habazin on Jan. 10 of last year, her most-recent fight. Dicaire captured the IBF title by outpointing Chris Namus in December 2018, after which she has successfully defended three times.

They will also be fighting for the vacant WBA title, which was recently instituted.

Only seven fighters have held all the major titles in a single division in the four-belt era. They are (in alphabetical order) Cecilia Braekhus, Terence Crawford, Bernard Hopkins, Shields, Jermain Taylor, Katie Taylor and Oleksandr Usyk.

Shields and Dicaire are the first women to headline a pay-per-view show since Laila Ali fought Jacqui Frazier-Lyde in 2001.

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Claressa Shields poised to make boxing history again on Friday

Claressa Shields is poised to make boxing history again when she faces Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday.

Claressa Shields has already made quite a bit of history in her career, winning world titles in three divisions in only 10 fights.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be shooting for another achievement when she faces Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday in Flint, Mich., Shields’ hometown. She is trying to become the first fighter of either gender to hold all four major belts in a second weight class.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) and Dicaire (17-0, 0 KOs) on Thursday made weight for their junior middleweight title-unification showdown, Shields weighing 153.6 pounds and Dicaire 152.6. The limit is 154.

“I can’t wait to make history again on May 5,” Shields said. “Fighting in Flint in front of all my fans has been a dream of mine since turning pro. Having the opportunity to make history by fighting for the undisputed title in a second weight division is something I’m very proud of.

“Fighting against undefeated IBF 154-pound champion Marie-Eve Dicaire continues my quest to fight the very best in women’s boxing.”

Of course, Dicaire, a southpaw from Quebec, Canada, has her own opportunity to become an undisputed champion.

“For me, this is a dream come true,” she said. “I will be prepared the best I can be and I am ready to leave everything in the ring to win the fight.”

Shields won the WBC and WBO 154-pound titles with her unanimous-decision victory over Ivana Habazin on Jan. 10 of last year, her most-recent fight. Dicaire captured the IBF title by outpointing Chris Namus in December 2018, after which she has successfully defended three times.

They will also be fighting for the vacant WBA title, which was recently instituted.

Only seven fighters have held all the major titles in a single division in the four-belt era. They are (in alphabetical order) Cecilia Braekhus, Terence Crawford, Bernard Hopkins, Shields, Jermain Taylor, Katie Taylor and Oleksandr Usyk.

Shields and Dicaire are the first women to headline a pay-per-view show since Laila Ali fought Jacqui Frazier-Lyde in 2001.

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Fight Week: Claressa Shields vs. Marie-Eve Dicaire headlines PPV card

Fight Week: Claressa Shields-Marie-Eve Dicaire headlines a pay-perv-view card on Friday.

FIGHT WEEK

Three-division titleholder Claressa Shields returns to the boxing ring against Marie-Eve Dicaire in an all-woman pay-per-view show Friday night in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Mich.

***

SERHII BOHACHUK (18-0, 18 KOs)
VS. BRANDON ADAMS (22-3, 14 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAdxDXZrpEs

  • When: Thursday, Feb. 27
  • Where: Municipal Boxing Gym Felix Pagan Pintor, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  • TV/Stream: NBC Sports Network
  • Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Danielito Zorrilla vs. Ruslan Madiyev, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Bohachuk UD
  • Background: Bohachuk couldn’t have had a better start to his professional career, having stopped all 18 of his opponents in six rounds or less since turning pro in 2017. However, Adams, a former title challenger, represents a step up in opposition for the 25-year-old Ukrainian. The Los Angeles resident, a solid boxer-puncher, lost a wide decision to middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo in June 2019 but bounced back to stop Sanny Duversonne in two rounds this past December. Bohachuk was last in the ring last September, when he knocked out Alejandro Davila in six rounds in Mexico. Bohachuk is ranked by two of the four major sanctioning bodies, Adams by one.

***

CLARESSA SHIELDS (10-0, 2 KOs) VS.
MARIE-EVE DICAIRE (17-0, 0 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1P0kH0_w_U

  • When: Friday, March 5
  • Where: Dort Financial Center, Flint, Mich.
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view (FITE TV)
  • Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
  • At stake: Shields’ WBC and WBO, Dicaire’s IBF and vacant WBA titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Raquel Miller vs. TBA, 10 rounds, junior middlweights; Danielle Perkins vs. Monika Harrison, six rounds, heavyweights; Nadia Meknouzi vs. Samantha Pill, eight rounds, light heavyweights
  • Prediction: Shields UD
  • Background: Shields and Dicaire are the first women to headline a pay-per-view card since Laila Ali outointed Jacqui Frazier in 2001. The fight was originally set for May but was postponed multiple times, which accounts for Shields’ long layoff. She last fought in January of last year, when she defeated Ivan Habazin by a near-shutout decision to capture two vacant junior middleweight titles. DiCaire, who has been out of the ring since November 2019, will be making the fourth defense of her title. Shields is thrilled to be in the featured fight of a pay-per-view event. She told ESPN: “I’m super excited to be having my first pay-per-view card and I’m hoping that everybody who has been waiting on me to fight, everybody that supports me, that they all get behind me and get behind the women athlete movement and just join us because not only are we yelling equal pay, equal opportunity, equal TV time, we’re also working just as hard. We’re equally working.” Shields has begun training for her MMA debut.

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***

TONY YOKA (9-0, 7 KOs)
VS. JOEL DJEKO (17-2-1, 8 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1MsVzZHudU

  • When: Friday, March 5
  • Where: H Arena, Nantes, France
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Estelle Yoka Mossely vs. Verena Kaiser, 10 rounds, lightweights
  • Prediction: Yoka UD
  • Background: Yoka, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, is looking to take another step toward his first shot at a world title. The 6-foot-7 Frenchman is coming off a shutout decision over Christian Hammer this past November, also at the H Arena. The 28-year-old Parisian has yet to fight outside his native country. Joel Tambwe Djeko is a 31-year-old Belgian who is based in Essex, England. He’s coming off a first-round knockout of John Cortez in January of last year, his eighth consecutive victory.

Fight Week: Claressa Shields vs. Marie-Eve Dicaire headlines PPV card

Fight Week: Claressa Shields-Marie-Eve Dicaire headlines a pay-perv-view card on Friday.

FIGHT WEEK

Three-division titleholder Claressa Shields returns to the boxing ring against Marie-Eve Dicaire in an all-woman pay-per-view show Friday night in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Mich.

***

SERHII BOHACHUK (18-0, 18 KOs)
VS. BRANDON ADAMS (22-3, 14 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAdxDXZrpEs

  • When: Thursday, Feb. 27
  • Where: Municipal Boxing Gym Felix Pagan Pintor, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  • TV/Stream: NBC Sports Network
  • Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Danielito Zorrilla vs. Ruslan Madiyev, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Bohachuk UD
  • Background: Bohachuk couldn’t have had a better start to his professional career, having stopped all 18 of his opponents in six rounds or less since turning pro in 2017. However, Adams, a former title challenger, represents a step up in opposition for the 25-year-old Ukrainian. The Los Angeles resident, a solid boxer-puncher, lost a wide decision to middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo in June 2019 but bounced back to stop Sanny Duversonne in two rounds this past December. Bohachuk was last in the ring last September, when he knocked out Alejandro Davila in six rounds in Mexico. Bohachuk is ranked by two of the four major sanctioning bodies, Adams by one.

***

CLARESSA SHIELDS (10-0, 2 KOs) VS.
MARIE-EVE DICAIRE (17-0, 0 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1P0kH0_w_U

  • When: Friday, March 5
  • Where: Dort Financial Center, Flint, Mich.
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view (FITE TV)
  • Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
  • At stake: Shields’ WBC and WBO, Dicaire’s IBF and vacant WBA titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Raquel Miller vs. TBA, 10 rounds, junior middlweights; Danielle Perkins vs. Monika Harrison, six rounds, heavyweights; Nadia Meknouzi vs. Samantha Pill, eight rounds, light heavyweights
  • Prediction: Shields UD
  • Background: Shields and Dicaire are the first women to headline a pay-per-view card since Laila Ali outointed Jacqui Frazier in 2001. The fight was originally set for May but was postponed multiple times, which accounts for Shields’ long layoff. She last fought in January of last year, when she defeated Ivan Habazin by a near-shutout decision to capture two vacant junior middleweight titles. DiCaire, who has been out of the ring since November 2019, will be making the fourth defense of her title. Shields is thrilled to be in the featured fight of a pay-per-view event. She told ESPN: “I’m super excited to be having my first pay-per-view card and I’m hoping that everybody who has been waiting on me to fight, everybody that supports me, that they all get behind me and get behind the women athlete movement and just join us because not only are we yelling equal pay, equal opportunity, equal TV time, we’re also working just as hard. We’re equally working.” Shields has begun training for her MMA debut.

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***

TONY YOKA (9-0, 7 KOs)
VS. JOEL DJEKO (17-2-1, 8 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1MsVzZHudU

  • When: Friday, March 5
  • Where: H Arena, Nantes, France
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Estelle Yoka Mossely vs. Verena Kaiser, 10 rounds, lightweights
  • Prediction: Yoka UD
  • Background: Yoka, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, is looking to take another step toward his first shot at a world title. The 6-foot-7 Frenchman is coming off a shutout decision over Christian Hammer this past November, also at the H Arena. The 28-year-old Parisian has yet to fight outside his native country. Joel Tambwe Djeko is a 31-year-old Belgian who is based in Essex, England. He’s coming off a first-round knockout of John Cortez in January of last year, his eighth consecutive victory.

Claressa Shields signs deal to cross over to MMA: report

Boxing champion Claressa Shields has signed deal to cross over to MMA.

Editor’s note: This article was originally posted on MMAJunkie.com.

***

Boxing champion Claressa Shields is making the jump to MMA.

Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in boxing who has put together a 10-0 record in her professional career after going 77-1 as an amateur, has signed a deal with PFL that will see her transition sports.

MMA Junkie confirmed Shields’ signing to PFL with two people with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Shields, 25, has had her name mentioned in MMA circles infrequently over the years. There’s been discussion of fights with UFC champ Amanda Nunes or Bellator champ Cris Cyborg, but the talk primarily involved them crossing over into the boxing ring.

The idea of competing in MMA has never been dismissed entirely by Shields, though. In July 2019, she posted on social media that she “really” would consider fighting for the UFC. In February, video surfaced of Shields training kicks for the first time.

Shields, who is the undisputed women’s middleweight champion and is one of only seven boxers in history – male or female – to hold WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO world championship belts at the same time, hasn’t fought since a unanimous decision win over Ivana Habazin in January.

Shields weighed in at 153.4 pounds for the fight with Habazin. PFL employs a women’s lightweight division at 155 pounds. Fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison won the 2019 season championship.

According to sources, Shields will take one-off fights at lightweight to begin her MMA career with PFL, similar to Harrison.

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Claressa Shields signs deal to cross over to MMA: report

Boxing champion Claressa Shields has signed deal to cross over to MMA.

Editor’s note: This article was originally posted on MMAJunkie.com.

***

Boxing champion Claressa Shields is making the jump to MMA.

Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in boxing who has put together a 10-0 record in her professional career after going 77-1 as an amateur, has signed a deal with PFL that will see her transition sports.

MMA Junkie confirmed Shields’ signing to PFL with two people with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Shields, 25, has had her name mentioned in MMA circles infrequently over the years. There’s been discussion of fights with UFC champ Amanda Nunes or Bellator champ Cris Cyborg, but the talk primarily involved them crossing over into the boxing ring.

The idea of competing in MMA has never been dismissed entirely by Shields, though. In July 2019, she posted on social media that she “really” would consider fighting for the UFC. In February, video surfaced of Shields training kicks for the first time.

Shields, who is the undisputed women’s middleweight champion and is one of only seven boxers in history – male or female – to hold WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO world championship belts at the same time, hasn’t fought since a unanimous decision win over Ivana Habazin in January.

Shields weighed in at 153.4 pounds for the fight with Habazin. PFL employs a women’s lightweight division at 155 pounds. Fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison won the 2019 season championship.

According to sources, Shields will take one-off fights at lightweight to begin her MMA career with PFL, similar to Harrison.

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Claressa Shields’ brother sentenced to one year for weigh-in punch

Artis Mack, Claressa Shields’ brother, was sentenced to one year in jail on for assault after punching trainer James Ali Bashir on Oct. 4

It looks as if the final sentence in the messy incident involving Claressa Shields’ brother has been delivered.

Artis Mack, 28, was sentenced to one year in jail on an assault charge after punching Habazin trainer James Ali Bashir during a brawl at a weigh-in on Oct. 4, the day before Shields was scheduled to fight Ivana Habazin in Flint, Michigan.

The jail term was the maximum allowed. However, the Genesee District Court credited Mack with 158 days, the time he has already spent in jail, at a hearing Wednesday.

Mack was charged on Oct. 17 with felony assault. He was facing a maximum sentence of 10 years. However, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, a single count of misdemeanor assault, on Feb. 10.

In a message to MLive-The Flint Journal, Habazin expressed anger at the plea deal

“How is it possible that a convicted felon on parole who almost cost my trainer his life, could be given a slap on the wrist for his terrible crime?” she said. “As a citizen of Croatia, I thought there was justice in America. Now I realize the justice system in America is a joke. Shame on the people who are allowing this to happen!”

Bashir was left unconscious and rushed to a nearby emergency room for treatment.

The ugly brawl prompted the cancellation of the Shields-Habazin fight on Showtime. It was subsequently rescheduled for Jan. 10 in Atlantic City. Shields won a unanimous decision for two middleweight belts. With the victory, she also became a three-division champion in only her 10th pro bout.

On the day the sentence was handed down, Showtime announced Shields’ next bout. The two-time Olympic gold medalist (10-0, 2 KOs) is going back down in weight, to junior middleweight, against 154-pound champion Marie-Eve Dicaire (17-0), a Canadian from Quebec, on May 9 in Flint, Shields’ hometown

Claressa Shields’ brother pleads guilty to aggravated assault

Artis Mack, Claressa Shields’ brother, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for his role in a brawl at an Oct. 4 weigh-in in Flint, Mich.

An ugly incident in 2019 moved closer to a legal resolution Monday.

Artis Mack, Claressa Shields’ brother, pleaded guilty to a single count of aggravated assault for his role in a brawl at an Oct. 4 weigh-in before a scheduled fight between Shields and Ivana Habazin in Flint, Mich.

Mack was originally charged with one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. He reached a plea deal Monday at Genesee District Court, reducing the charge to a misdemeanor.

Mack, 28, is accused of punching Habazin trainer James Ali Bashir at the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, Shields’ hometown. Bashir suffered serious head injuries from what witnesses said was “a sucker-punch’’ thrown by Mack.

Mack, who faces up to one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10.

“It was bad for the city, bad for his sister and certainly bad for everybody involved,’’ Mack attorney Frank Manley said. “Hopefully, this will put an end to it.’’

Because of injuries to Bashir, Habazin (20-4, 7 KOs), of Croatia, refused to fight on the Showtime-televised card on Oct. 5. The bout was rescheduled for Jan. 10 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) won a one-sided decision, becoming a three-division champion in only her 10th pro bout.

Video: Boxing champion Claressa Shields getting her MMA kicks

Claressa Shields, preparing to make her MMA debut sometime soon, posted a video on Twitter showing her kicking a bag for the first time.

Claressa Shields’ manager said a few weeks ago that the three-division titleholder could make her Mixed Martial Arts debut sometime in the near future. Well, she evidently is preparing for that eventuality in earnest.

Shields posted a video on Twitter showing her training in kicking for the first time, evidence that she is dead serious about giving MMA a try.

She said on the post: “Lol first time ever throwing a kick in my life! But as promised! Save the criticism, you guys couldn’t throw a jab like me on the first day To be continued though, I enjoyed practice.”

Mark Taffet, her manager, told ESPN that he and his client believe she can continue to box and pursue a second career in MMA simultaneously. Taffet said he has talked to representatives of several MMA outlets about the crossover.

“There hasn’t been a conversation about moving full time,” Taffet said. “It’s all been a discussion about being the next great two-sport athlete.”

Shields, 24, has trained with MMA stars Cris Cyborg and Kayla Harrison and, according to ESPN, had plans to work with UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones sometime this month.

“She got her feet wet athletically, her toe in the water athletically,” Taffet said a few weeks ago. “The next step for us would be to look at a few different trainers and coaches and speak to them and then decide who an appropriate coach and trainer would be and then make a plan for her to begin training while she continues to blaze trails in boxing.”

Shields told ESPN last year that she wouldn’t want to enter the octagon unless she trained in MMA for a year.

“Just the stuff that I don’t know, like jiu-jitsu and kicking and all that stuff if I wanted to consider it,” said Shields, who was less serious about the move at the time.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) is coming off a one-sided decision victory over Ivana Habazin on Jan. 10. That victory gave her titles in three weight classes in only 10 fights, which is a record regardless of gender.

 

Claressa Shields’ manager: She could have first MMA fight this year

 

Ice Cube to co-star in Claressa Shields biopic ‘Flint Strong’

Hip Hop legend Ice Cube will co-star in the upcoming biopic about three-division women’s titleholder Claressa Shields.

Claressa Shields has won world titles in three divisions and two Olympic gold medals, all before the age of 25. What more can the self-styled Greatest Woman of All Time (GWOAT) ask for? Well, how about a Hollywood movie?

Shields is the subject of “Flint Strong,” a Universal Pictures-backed biopic of her life as a 17-year-old Flint, Michigan native who goes on to make history as the first American woman to win a gold medal in Olympic boxing. Shields medalled at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio games.

In the film’s latest development, hip hop luminary Ice Cube has signed on to join the cast as Shield’s trainer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Shields is played by Ryan Destiny, best known for her role in the Fox musical drama “Star.”

The film boasts some strong names on the creative end. The screenplay is penned by acclaimed Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk“). Rachel Morrison, the Academy Award-nominated Director of Photography for “Black Panther,” will make her directorial debut on the film.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) unified two 154-pound titles in January, when she defeated Ivana Habazin by a wide unanimous decision. She has also won titles at super middleweight and middleweight.