Claressa Shields Debuts with the Unanimous Decision Victory on Kovalev/Ward Undercard

#WomenofBoxing hit the big stage on one of the highly anticipated matchups in many years, being on the undercard of Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward and being broadcast live to the masses via HBO’s Freeview telecast via their YouTube Channel.

Tensions were rising during fight week as the former USA Boxing teammates started jawing at each other through social media. But the professional debuts of Franchon Crews and Claressa Shields let their fist do the talking on Saturday evening.

In a matchup more fitting to be a title fight than a debut, 2015 National Champion Crew came out firing from the opening bell. 2-time Olympic Champion Shields answered with her own hammering rights before taking control of the bout. The jitters were there as the bout started out as a brawl before Shields settled down into her game of boxing, setting up with the jab, showing the defensive dominance, while establishing the proven opportunities of effectively landed point shots.

Shields had Crews winded by the 3rd Round and cruised to the shutout Unanimous Decision victory in her debuting 4-Rounder. Official Scores: 400-36, 40-36, 40-36.

Being humble and realistic, Shields spoke on rating her performance: “1 through 10… I would say about a 5.” She continued, “I think I could have picked a few shots better.” “It will all come with experience.”

I commend Shields for her proper marketing promotion of her sponsors in speaking highly of Dole, Powerade, and Dick’s Sporting Goods contributions to her young career.

Look for “T-Rex” to return to the ring in January or February as she climbs the ranks to become a professional World Champion.

In a look forward into the future… Shields is targeting the biggest names in the game: Christina Hammer, Kali Reis, Hannah Gabriels, and more.

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In case you missed it, here it is (Shields vs. Crews coverage starts at approximately 1:21:00 mark):