Claressa Shields Easily Dispatches of Ema Kozin; Eyeing Marshall Up Next!
Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (12-0, 2 KOs) made her 2022 ring debut defending her WBA, WBC, IBF and Ring Magazine middleweight titles against WBC Interim middleweight champion Ema Kozin (21-1-1, 11 KOs). Shields, a two-division undisputed champion, kept her perfect record intact by thoroughly dominating Kozin.
Fighting overseas for the first time as a professional, Shields displayed why she’s arguably the best female boxer in the world today. With the win, she moves on to a June 9 showdown with bitter amateur rival and hard-hitting unbeaten WBO middleweight champion Savannah “Silent Assassin” Marshall (11-0, 9 KOs), with the fight hinging on Marshall defeating Femke Hermans, as expected.
RIGHT HAND HAPPY!
A cerebral fighter, Shields came out patient, pumping her jab, trying to find the range for her right hand, and boy, did she! At one point in round one, she let off three consecutive rights that Kozin couldn’t avoid. Round two saw “T-Rex” become more aggressive as she came forward, tearing the body of Kozin up!
Body Work That Isn’t Nice!
Round four saw the body attack of Shields start to pay off. She beat on the side of Kozin’s body like a bass drummer jamming out at a halftime performance! At one point, it appeared as if Kozin was going to go down as she dropped her hands in an attempt to protect her midsection. This trend would continue for the remainder of the fight.
After ten one-sided rounds, Shields would be announced as the runaway winner via a unanimous decision with a consensus score of 100-90.
In the immediate aftermath, during Shields’ post-fight interview, she and Marshall traded words, adding more excitement to their matchup!
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
