On Sunday, Claressa Shields did what most expected. In her hometown of Flint, Michigan, Shields became the first-ever undisputed women’s heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision victory over Danielle Perkins (100-89, 97-92, 99-90).
Danielle Perkins gave a spirited effort, but she was outclassed in terms of speed and pure boxing acumen. Shields nearly scored a knockdown in the third round, but Perkins managed to remain on her feet.
However, in the tenth and final round, Shields scored an explosive knockdown with a wicked right hand in the final seconds of the fight. Here is a look at the absolutely beautiful counter right hand.
Perkins made it to her feet, but if there had been 30 more seconds left in the fight, Shields probably would have gotten the finish.
Here is a look at some of the reactions from notables in the boxing community.
My Biggest Takeaways from Shields’ Win:
- We need to stop limiting women’s professional boxing matches to two minutes. It’s a pretty ridiculous differentiation that lessens the overall product.
- Women’s championship fights should be 12 rounds as well for the same reason.
- Women’s boxing in higher weight classes needs to become a thing. Shields is the kind of star who can make it happen. I love the idea of embracing female athletes of all frames.
- Shields called out her friend Franchon Crews-Dezurn, Savannah Marshall, Laila Ali, and Cris Cyborg. It’s clear she has her eye on making the biggest fights possible. As she gets set to turn 30 in March, it’s a smart approach for this stage of her career.
- The atmosphere in Flint was special. If you understand the city and the culture, you could feel it through the broadcast. The music played in the venue and the crowd’s reaction to multiple moments helped make this an entertaining watch.
- Shields is truly one of the most impressive female athletes of our time. Her ability to maintain speed, dexterity, and agility across multiple weight classes is remarkable. She’s also trained and competed professionally in mixed martial arts. While some will argue she already gets her flowers, something tells me she’ll be more appreciated once she’s done fighting and the ones she has inspired are following in her footsteps.
What’s Next in Boxing?
Saturday, February 8, 2025
- Dereck Chisora vs. Otto Wallin
- Location: Co-Op Live Arena, Manchester, GB
- Time: 2:00 PM (ET)
Friday, February 14, 2025
- WBO World Lightweight Championship: (c) Denys Berinchyk vs. Keyshawn Davis
- Xander Zayas vs. Slawa Spomer
- Vito Mielnicki vs. Connor Coyle
- Jared Anderson vs. Marios Kollias
- Abdullah Mason vs. Manuel Jaimes
- Location: The Theater at MSG, New York City, US
- Time: 8:00 PM (ET)
Saturday, February 15, 2025
- Jack Catterall vs. Arnold Barboza
- Location: Co-Op Live Arena, Manchester, GB
- Time: Noon (ET)
- Oscar Duarte vs. Regis Prograis
- Honda Center, Anaheim, California, US
- Time: 8 PM (ET)
Saturday, February 22, 2025
- The Ring, WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF Light Heavyweight Championship: (c) Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol
- IBF Heavyweight Championship: (c) Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker
- WBC Lightweight Championship (c) Shakur Stevenson vs. Floyd Schofield
- WBC Middleweight Championship (c) Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz
- Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov
- Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith
- Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel
- Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, SA
- Time: Noon (ET)
Monday, February 24, 2025
- WBC World Bantamweight Championship: (c) Junto Nakatani vs. David Cuellar Contreras
- Location: Ariake Arena, Tokyo, JP
- Time: 2:00 AM (ET)
Saturday, March 1, 2025
- WBA World Lightweight Championship: (c) Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr.
- Location: Barclays Center, New York City, US
- Time: 8:00 PM (ET)
Friday, March 7, 2025
- The Ring Welterweight Championship: (c) Natasha Jonas vs. Lauren Price
- Location: Royal Albert Hall, London, GB
- Time: 1:00 PM (ET)
Saturday, March 15, 2025
- WBA World Featherweight Championship: (c) Nick Ball vs. TJ Doheny
- Location: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, GB
- Time: 1:00 PM (ET)
Sunday, March 16, 2025
- Callum Walsh vs. Dean Sutherland
- Location: The Theater at MSG, New York City, US
- Time: 9:00 PM (ET)
