Claressa Shields is a star.

In front of a packed house in Atlanta on Saturday, the Michigan native returned to middleweight Saturday night and left the city with championship gold around her waist once again. Fighting at State Farm Arena, Shields stopped Kaye Scott in the sixth round to reclaim the WBC and WBA middleweight titles. The bout marked her first appearance at 160 pounds since 2023 after spending her previous four fights at heavyweight. Even with the weight cut, Shield remained on point the entire fight.

“This was a really hard camp,” said Shields of her months-long preparation, per a report by ESPN. “I cut 38 pounds. I was at 198 pounds and got down to 160. This is the most disciplined I’ve been since the Olympics, I feel like.”

Scott was willing to exchange early, but Shields quickly established control. By the second round, the effects of her offense were visible on Scott’s forehead. Shields continued to dictate the fight before landing a hard left hook in the sixth, sending Scott into the ropes and forcing a count. Shields pressed once action resumed. With Scott struggling to recover, her corner threw in the towel at 1:38 of the round, giving Shields the stoppage victory.

“I was actually just trying to figure her out,” Shields said during the post-fight interview. “She was stronger than what I thought. She was very strong, and I knew that with me cutting the weight that I cut that I didn’t want to exert too much early. So I was trying to make sure I could deal with her strength and not get caught with nothing crazy because I’m not as strong as I feel at 175 [pounds].”

The night also carried significance beyond the result. Shields became the first African American woman to headline a major boxing event in Atlanta. Latto and Shield’s partner Papoose accompanied the two-time Olympic gold medalist during her ring walk, while Floyd Mayweather, Terence Crawford and Usher were among the notable names in attendance. Shakur Stevenson and Shane Mosley also watched from ringside. Brandy was also in the building, who was there to support her brother Ray J for his match earlier in the evening against Orlando Brown.

The victory adds another championship achievement to Shields’ professional career. Already the undisputed heavyweight champion, she became undisputed at middleweight and junior middleweight, making her the only woman to accomplish the feat in three divisions.

Author: Okla Jones

Read the original article on Essence.