Claressa Shields Wins The Undisputed World Title

The champ is here!

Claressa Shields has solidified her status as a legendary fighter and is now the undisputed heavyweight champion. With a unanimous decision, she defeated previously unbeaten Danielle Perkins on Sunday (Feb. 2) night, ESPN reports.

During the final seconds of the 10th and final round, Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) dropped Perkins (5-1, 2 KOs) to secure the victory. The judges scored the fight 97-92, 99-90, and 100-89 all for Shields.

Interestingly, the highly-anticipated matchup almost didn’t happen. Shields injured her shoulder before the bout was scheduled and she couldn’t lift her arm for several three days.

“I actually think I’m going to have to have surgery on my left arm. I tore my labrum last week, so the fight almost didn’t happen,” Shields said in the post-fight interview. “I didn’t want to let Flint down, but I really couldn’t use my jab the way that I wanted to, but I did the best that I could. I iced it, I did therapy and now I think I’m going to have a shoulder surgery.”

She also lauded Perkins for her strength and toughness.

“I felt strong in there, but I know Danielle Perkins felt stronger. That girl was strong as hell,” Shields said. “She was strong, she was definitely a problem. My experience and my skills got me over it and also, I’ve been in plenty of street fights with bigger people and I had to use some of my skills in that today, too. So, when I dropped her in the last round, it’s because she got greedy.”

The proud native of Flint said she turned down having the fight take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in favor of fighting in front of her hometown crowd at the Dort Financial Center. She spoke about the pride she has in her city.

“Flint is a different type of place. I can tell you that the people that we have here, they are fight fans for one. They’re so supportive and they take you for who you are,” Shields said. “So, them even saying, ‘Whoop that trick,’ you will never hear that in no other women’s boxing match ever in history because it’s just not even something that people even accept coming from women.”

“People accept that from me here, coming from Flint and they understand me, and they know that I’m just as hood, just as street,” she continued. But I’m also business and savvy and I’m very smart so they accept me for the full package, and I just love them so much for that.”

Terence Crawford, the undefeated welterweight champion, expressed his excitement about witnessing the fight.

“I think it was a great fight. Perkins came to fight, she put up a good fight. She was big, she was strong. Claressa had the speed, timing, and experience,” Crawford shared. “And at times, when she had to dig deep and make it a dog fight, I felt like she won that transaction as well. The whole turnout was a good night.”

With the victory, Shields became the first boxer, male or female, in the four-belt era to become the undisputed champion in three different weight classes. She has won the junior middle, middle, and heavyweight titles.

Currently, she holds the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles.