Shields outpoints Perkins to win 1st undisputed heavyweight bout in women’s boxing

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Claressa Shields unanimously outpointed Danielle Perkins on Sunday night in the first undisputed heavyweight bout in women’s boxing to remain undefeated.

Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with titles in five divisions, was in control of the fight from the start. She knocked down Perkins, landing a right hand on her chin with 15 seconds left in the 10th and final round.

The 29-year-old Shields improved to 16-0 with three knockouts.

“I want a rematch with Hanna Gabriels,” she said.

The 42-year-old Perkins, who led St. John’s basketball team in blocked shots two decades ago, won her first five fights before losing to Shields.

Perkins, weighing 177-plus pounds and standing at 6 foot, was a few inches taller and a few inches heavier than Shields.

She took some of Shields’ best shots early in the bout, hitting the canvas only when the referee pushed her when separating the fighters in the third round. After both boxers faded in the middle rounds, Shields closed the seventh with a flurry of punches.

Shields won gold medals at 165 pounds at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, making her the first boxer from the United States to win consecutive Olympic medals.

The powerful puncher looks at home in the 200-pound division, though also did at 175, 168, 160 and 154 pounds.

Shields knocked out WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse last summer in front of about 12,000 people at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, where the Red Wings play.

Shields took latest next fight to the home of the Ontario Hockey League’s Flint Firebirds in an arena with about 6,000 seats and a floor filled with fans in folding chairs.

She said the bout could have been been New York, adding there was almost a deal with Barclays Center, Las Vegas in the Motor City.

It was important to Shields, though, to bring the first undisputed heavyweight bout in women’s boxing history to her resilient hometown that was featured in the movie ” The Fire Inside,” based on her life.

In the co-main event, Brandon Moore (17-1) won the vacant USBA heavyweight title after Skylar Lacy (8-1) was disqualified in the eighth round for unsportsmanlike conduct. Lacy used his left shoulder to drive Moore back and out of the ring and onto a table commentators were using for streaming service DAZN.

Shields, an advocate for women in boxing, was proud to push for females to be featured in four of the 10 fights in Flint.

Ashleyann Lozada Motta, who became the first Olympic women’s boxer from Puerto Rico at the 2024 Paris Games, made his professional debut and won a unanimous decision in a feisty, four-round fight against Denise Moran (3-1).

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Follow Larry Lage at https://apnews.com/author/larry-lage

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AP Boxing: https://apnews.com/hub/boxing