On Sunday evening, February 2, in the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan, Claressa Shields made history when she defeated Danielle Perkins and became the first female boxer to win the undisputed heavyweight title.
In the opening round of the competition, the first thing that Fight fans noticed was the great advantage Danielle Perkins held on Claressa Shields. Perkins even stood from 6 feet at 6 feet and had a high of four inches, and at the official weighing in Perkins weighed 177.2 pounds, while Shields weighed at 173.6.
On Fight Night, Perkins seemed to rehydrate between the neighborhood of the 190-200 pound mark. After the bell sounded to start the game officially, Perkins used the Southpaw attitude when she tried to put the stitch, but when she threw the stitch, Shields countered by landing a sharp combination.
In the second round, Shields focuses on landing the stitch and the right hand on the body. In the final seconds of round number two, Perkins pushed forward, but Shields looked comfortable to fight from the back foot as she hit Perkins with another striking combination.
At the beginning of the third round, Shields landed a overhand right that struck Perkins off balance. During the rest of the 3rd, Shields landed multiple overhand rights, but Perkins showed resilience when she went the rest of the round in survival mode.
In the sixth round, Perkins was able to push forward and force Shields into a corner, but she couldn’t take the opportunity. Later in sixth place Shields landed a left hook, followed by another big right hand. When the time dropped in the 7th, Shields linked with another big right hand, and she closed the round by landing a wave of pushing.
Perkins came out in ninth place and tried to be more aggressive as she pushed forward and hit by a large left shot. Perkins continued to push forward, but her spacing was not on the point because she suffocated her work.
Danielle Perkins was in the 10th and last round in search of a miracle while Claressa Shields was ready to close the show. Perkins was aggressive, but with 13 seconds left, Shields landed a large right hand that sent Perkins to the canvas.
Perkins was able to rise her feet, and a few seconds later, the Bell sounded to officially end the championship adjustments. Eventually, Claressa Shields achieved the unanimous victory by the scores of (100-89, 97-92, 99-90).
With the victory, Claressa “Gwoat” Shields (16-0, 3 COs) became the first boxer to make the distinction to be an undisputed world champion of three divisions. During her interview after the fight, Shields explained that she didn’t use her sting as much because she injured her left shoulder during training camp.
As for her plans for the rest of 2025, Shields wants to walk twice more in the ring. Her potential list of opponents includes Franchon Crews-Dezurn, Savannah Marshall, MMA legend Cris Cyborg and retired boxing legend Laila Ali.
