By Teddy Nwanunobi
Aggressive women’s star, Claressa Shields, successfully moved down three weight classes on Saturday night to win the WBC and WBA world middleweight championships by stopping Australia’s now former champ Kaye Scott in six punishing rounds.
Fighting in the main event of a four-bout main card, broadcast live on DAZN from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, five-weight, 18-time belt holder Shields, 19-0 (4 KOs), of Flint, Michigan, had promised to “destroy” ‘Glamour’ Scott, 5-2-1, of Sydney, New South Wales in the pre-fight buildup and stylistically fought like she meant it.
Uncharacteristically sitting down on her power punches and clearly looking to wreak heavy damage from the opening bell, the 31-year-old Shields inflicted a nasty forehead hematoma on Scott in round one and continued to batter her throughout the fight.
42-year-old Scott showed a sturdy chin by absorbing a number of haymakers, while still gamely looking to land her own thunder, however, she lacked the speed, skills or power to fend off the determined Shields or do enough to win any round.
Scott, who had an extensive amateur career spanning over 120 international bouts, had an improved round five, pinning Shields against the ropes for a full minute, but Shields used the position to land a series of effective body shots and fought her way back to ring center by round’s end.
Shields’ aggressive power punching finally got to Scott midway through round six, as she landed a slamming left hook and follow-up right hand to wobble and then drop the tough Aussie in her own corner.
Shields follow-up barrage prompted Scott’s corner to throw in multiple towels of surrender almost immediately. Referee Joel Scobie waved it off at 1:38.
Post-fight, Shields denied she was looking to knock Scott out.
“I was actually trying to figure her out,” she explained. “She was stronger than what I thought. And with me cutting the weight I cut, I didn’t want to exert too much early… I’m not as strong (at 160) as I feel at 175.
”I started going to her body and breaking her down… When I started going to the body and seeing that my right hand was landing, I’m like, ‘She’s ready to go,’” she said.
Shields went on to name new unified IBF and WBO middleweight champ, Tamm Thibeault, as her possible next opponent.
“She (Thibeault) got the rest of the belts. She only had one big fight in the professionals, but she got belts. It’s not my fault these girls don’t have the experience that I have. But hey, she got a belt that I know belongs to me, and that’s the Ring belt. I’ve always been number one at 160, and when I decide to come back down to 160, that automatically makes me number one,” she said.