| Two-Division Champion Preparing for Undisputed Middleweight Championship Showdown Against Christina Hammer in 2019 |
FLINT, MI. (December 19, 2018) – Claressa Shields has had a banner career year in 2018, capped off by recently being named the Boxing Writers Association of America’s Female Fighter of the Year and ThePrizeFighters.com’s Fighter of the Year and Fight of the Year for her victory over Hanna Gabriels.
In addition to her recently announced honors, Shields was also inducted into the USA Boxing Hall of Fame and was a Women’s Sports Foundation nominee for Sportswoman of the Year earlier this year.
“I’m happy with my progress and accomplishments in 2018 but I’m even happier about the tremendous advances of women’s boxing this year,” said Shields. “We will make even more history in 2019, including my fight with Hammer to crown the undisputed middleweight champion of world.”
This has been the pinnacle year for women’s prizefighting and for Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and unified middleweight champion. Shields showed her deserved place among the top of the field by displaying her skills and grit in each one of her contests. She went 4-0 and beat opponents with a combined record of 49-4 including two world champions in Hanna Gabriels and Femke Hermans, plus one multi-time former world champion in Tori Nelson.
Shields won three middleweight world title belts (WBC, WBA and IBF) in her second weight division and was the only fighter to fight major bouts on SHOWTIME, HBO and and new streaming service DAZN.
This monumental year will lead into what will be the biggest fight of her career, when she takes on middleweight world champion Christina Hammer for the undisputed middleweight championship in 2019.
“Claressa has had a meteoric rise this year with her impressive accomplishments inside and outside the ring,” said promoter Dmitriy Salita “This has been a breakout year in many ways for women’s boxing and Claressa has been on the forefront of this monumental progress. It’s great to see her work recognized with these highly respected awards and honors she is receiving for all her victories inside and outside the ring this year. We are looking forward to a great 2019.”
“I am incredibly proud of Claressa Shields as a champion of boxing, women’s sports, and gender equality,” said Mark Taffet, Shields’ manager. “Her accomplishments in 2018 continued to break the barriers and glass ceilings previously in place. On Claressa’s broad shoulders inside and outside the ring, we will continue to make history in 2019. I can’t wait for the Shields vs Hammer superfight and Claressa’s consideration for the top pound for pound list regardless of gender.”