Claressa Shields will enter the ring for the second straight time with unfinished business as a promotional theme.
A rematch with Hanna Gabriels has been nearly five years in the making for the reigning undisputed middleweight champion, who suffered her lone career knockdown in their first meeting. Shields was floored in the opening round of an eventual June 2018 unanimous decision win over Costa Rica’s Gabriels to become a two-division title claimant.
The lopsided scores (98-91, 97-92, 97-92) were in line with the level of dominance exhibited by Shields throughout her amateur and pro boxing journey. Still, it wasn’t good enough for the self-proclaimed GWOAT (Greatest Woman of All Time) of boxing who wants a more definitive ending in their sequel.
“I’m gonna finish the job this time,” Shields vowed during a press conference held Tuesday in Detroit to formally announce their June 3 DAZN main event. “I beat her unanimously after being knocked down. This time, I don’t want a unanimous decision. I want the knockout.”
Their bout will take place at Little Caesars Arena, home to the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. The venue is less than a mile from the site of their first fight at the Masonic Temple in Detroit. Shields was dropped a little more than a minute into the opening round of their WBA and IBF middleweight title fight. She went on to dominate the rest of the fight to become a two-division titlist.
Still, the fact that she had to overcome adversity of any kind has never sat well with Shields (13-0, 2KOs), a two-time Olympic Gold medalist, three-division champ and pound-for-pound queen.
A similar mindset was carried into her memorable grudge match with longtime rival Savannah Marshall. Shields won a competitive but clear unanimous decision win over the only fighter to beat her, pro or amateur.
Their undisputed middleweight championship came more than 10 years after Marshall eliminated a then 17-year-old Shields from the 2012 World Amateur Championships competition. Much was made of the moment in the years that followed, though Marshall couldn’t replicate the moment in the pro ranks as she was dealt her first defeat in their full unification match at The O2 in London.
Shields now gets a homecoming for her next piece of past business to conquer. She’d have preferred the moment to come much sooner, given the way she felt even after an otherwise dominant performance versus Gabriels (21-2-1, 12KOs)—a five-division titlist, who has won three straight since that night.
“The knockdown pissed me off,” admitted Shields. “It was a flash knockdown. I don’t know if Mark [Taffet, Shields’ manager] will recall but I was in the back after the fight, after winning. I was very upset. Mark said, ‘Claressa, what’s wrong?’ I was like, ‘I want to fight her some more. Mark, make sure you get me that rematch.’
“She’s able to get knocked out. It’s happened to her before. I’m able to get knocked down. It’s happened to me before. But I got up and I won. I’m fighting here in Detroit. I’m fighting in front of all my friends, all my family and in front of the United States. Hanna Gabriels is in for a world of trouble. This fight is going to solidify what I’ve been saying. There’s no girl—and not many men—that can get in the ring with me and take me.”
By Jake Donovan