Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer: Battle of the Undefeated for Undisputed!
The biggest fight in all of women’s boxing is happening! Showtime has announced Claressa Shields vs Christina Hammer live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on April 13!
What Caused the Delay?
The bout was originally set to take place November 17, 2018, however, a medical illness suffered by Hammer caused the bout to be delayed.
The illness also prompted the WBC to put Hammer as a champion in recess. As a result, Shields was able to fight for and capture the vacant WBC middleweight title. With Hammer a champion in recess, she is now the immediate mandatory while still holding the WBO title.
In addition, the former WBC chammpion returned February 9 to stop Elena Sikmashvili in two rounds.
Hammer had long been considered the best female at middleweight. She’s been a world champion for eight years and is undefeated in 24 professional outings.
An Anticipated Bout For Boxing Enthusiasts
Many started fantasizing about this potential match up as soon as Shields turned pro. The Flint, Michigan native made mainstream news as she won back to back gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. She turned pro in November 2016 and fought for unified super middleweight titles in just her 4th fight.
After unifying at super middleweight, Shields dropped down to middleweight where she is currently the unified WBA/IBF/WBC champion. These are quite the accomplishments for a fighter with only 8 fights.
The winner will become only the second four-belt undisputed champion in women’s boxing history. The first being the current undisputed welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus.
Hats off to Showtime and Salita promotions for putting this fight together! We have two undefeated champions in their physical primes squaring off for all the marbles!
This is a rare occurrence and a fight of this magnitude should draw some much needed eyes to women’s boxing. In a world where fighters are increasingly worried about image and remaining undefeated, we have two powerful women bringing us the epitome of competition.
This is undoubtedly the biggest fight in female boxing history and for good reason!
By: Tanner Gill
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