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Claressa Shields continued toying with world champions and making history Friday night.
The self-professed “GWOAT” completely out-classed Marie-Eve Dicaire in their women’s 154-pound title unification fight in Flint, Michigan, Shields’ hometown. All three judges scored each of the 10 rounds for the undefeated Shields, who won 100-90 on their cards in the main event of an all-women’s pay-per-view card at Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center.
Shields (11-0, 2 KOs) retained her WBC and WBO 154-pound crowns, took the IBF belt from Dicaire (17-1, 0 KOs) and won the vacant WBA “super” championship.
Shields, 25, became the first fighter, male or female, to become an undisputed champion in two divisions during boxing’s four-belt era. Before becoming the undisputed 154-pound champion Friday night, the two-time Olympic gold medalist dominated Germany’s Christina Hammer (26-1, 12 KOs, 1 NC) in April 2019 to earn recognition as the undisputed middleweight champion.
“[The scores were] 90-100, I can’t be mad about it,” Shields said during her post-fight interview with Dan Canobbio. “But, you know, she just kept head-butting me and elbowing me. And I was trying to get the knockout. That’s really what I wanted, and I almost had it a couple times. But, you know, we got two minutes and then we got the ref breaking up the fight for 30 seconds when she’s holding and f-cking elbowing me and stuff.
“I’m happy, but I still wanted the KO, and I just didn’t have enough time. But at the end of the day, I am the new undisputed champion at 154, the first boxer to do it in history – undisputed twice. And I did it here in Flint, Michigan, so to all the people in Flint, I love y’all. Thank y’all for coming. Everybody who ordered the pay-per-view, thank you so much. Hopefully, I didn’t disappoint. I don’t think I did.”
A COVID-restricted crowd of roughly 375 was permitted to attend the card Friday night.
Dicaire, 34, was just the second southpaw Shields fought since she turned pro in November 2016. The Saint-Eustache, Quebec, native had successfully defended the IBF junior middleweight title three times before Shields defeated her in a fight that first was scheduled for last May 9.
By the time they reached the 10th and final round, it was obvious Dicaire would need her highly unlikely first knockout as a pro to pull off an upset against an 11-1 favorite.
Dicaire was aggressive in the 10th round, but she couldn’t connect with meaningful punches in those final two minutes. Shields landed several counter punches off her back foot in that round.
Shields blasted Dicaire with a right hand with just under 50 seconds to go in the ninth round. As Dicaire pressed forward, Shields landed a left hook about 15 seconds later.
Shields’ right-left combination made Dicaire retreat 40 seconds into the eighth round. Another right-left combination by Shields staggered Dicaire with just over 30 seconds remaining in the eighth round.
Shields’ straight right hand backed up Dicaire 35 seconds into the seventh round and made her hold Shields.
A crisp combination by Shields made Dicaire hold her less than 20 seconds into the sixth round. A right-left combination by Shields staggered Dicaire with just over 30 seconds left in that one-sided sixth round.
Dicaire’s left hand backed Shields into the ropes with about a minute remaining in the fifth round. Shields’ overhand right connected with just over 40 seconds to go in that fifth round, when Shields mostly missed with the hard rights she threw.
Shields’ left hand to the side of Dicaire’s head knocked her off balance with 35 seconds to go in the fourth round.
Backed into a corner, Shields stung Dicaire with a straight right hand that backed her up with just under a minute to go in the third round. Shields also landed two right hands less than 30 seconds into the third round.
Shields wasn’t as effective in the second round as she was during the first round. She did land a right-left combination toward the end of the second round, though.
Shields threw purposeful punches throughout the opening round. She landed a hard right hand less than 30 seconds into that first round.
A left hook by Shields backed Dicaire into the ropes later in the first round. Shields also connected with an overhand right later in the first round.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.