Claressa Shields needs no rest as she returns 3 weeks after defeating Hannah Rankin
3KingsBoxing has learned that IBF/WBA/WBC Middleweight champion Claressa Shields has been added HBO’s final boxing broadcast on December 8 at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA. Shields (7-0, 2 KOs) will face WBO Women’s Super-Middleweight champion Femke Hermans (9-1, 3 KOs). This will be the opening bout for HBO’s After Dark special.
This match-up had been reported previously as the scheduled bout to take happen place of Christina Hammer for November 17. However, a week after the report, an announcement of a bout with Hannah Rankin took this fight off the table.
Now it is back on! Three weeks is a quick turnaround for the women’s champion, having just defeated Rankin by unanimous decision. Also, she will be defending her Middleweight titles against an opponent who is moving down in weight.
It’s certainly sad to see HBO Boxing coming to an end. However, adding Shields to HBO’s final show is a very good look for women’s boxing. The bout will be a part of a card that also features undisputed women’s Welterweight Cecilia Braekhus. She will headline the card, defending her titles against Aleksandra Magdziak-Lopez.
So, what you have is arguably the number 1 and 2 pound-for-pound women’s boxers in the world fighting on the same card.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
