Shields: “I’m Ready to Start 2020 with a Knockout”

Shields v Habazin: Third Time a Charm?

Well, once again, we’ve finally arrived at fight week for unified middleweight champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (9-0, 2 KO’s) versus Ivana Habazin (20-3, 7 KO’s). The two are on schedule to rumble at the Ocean Resort Casino located in Atlantic City, New Jersey for the chance to claim the vacant WBC and WBO world super welterweight titles. Provided that the fight actually transpires, it will air live on SHOWTIME boxing.

TRY, TRY AGAIN!!

The reason for all the dubious talk regarding the upcoming prizefight is due to this being the third consecutive time the two women have attempted to fight! Their first date, scheduled for August 17, 2019, was sidelined when Shields suffered a knee injury in camp. Despite the two team’s woofing back and forth, the dust-up was rather quickly rescheduled.

On the second attempt, they made it all the way to the official weigh-in when unforeseen tragedy struck. While at the facility to satisfy the weigh-in obligations, Habazin’s chief second, James Bashir Ali, was attacked from the blindside, concussed and shortly thereafter hospitalized. As a result, their fight would see another cancellation.

So now, the boxing world can only hope that the January 10 date is more charmed than the previous two! For her part, as she revealed to BJPENN.com, Shields is very much looking to start 2020 in spectacular fashion.

“I’m super excited. Last year was such a setback for me and I’m ready to start 2020 with a knockout. I dislocated my knee last year, the fight got rescheduled because of the incident at the weigh-in, but now we’re here in 2020. I’ll be [headlining] the first card on Showtime in 2020, so I’m ready to ring in the New Year with a bang.”

CHASING HISTORY

For Shields, this fight has two significant motivations embedded within. First and foremost, T-Rex is looking to humble Habazin for all of her smack talk and accusing Shields of faking the injury. Secondly, the unified middleweight top dog is looking to make history.

If Shields is successful over Habazin, she will become a world titlist in a third division. However, not only would she become a champion in a third division, she will have done it quicker than anyone else in history. At the moment, Vasiliy “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KO’s) was the quickest to become a three division champion. He accomplished the feat in twelve bouts. Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, has the opportunity to do it in ten bouts.

“It’s just more history of showing that women can do what the men do, and they can even do it better. Lomachenko holds the record with 12 fights becoming a three-division world champion. I’ll hold it within 10, and not only will I be a three-time division world champion, but I’m also undisputed, and also have two Olympic gold medals. Lomachenko is not undisputed, he has two Olympic gold medals, but I still hold the undisputed over him.

It’s just showing that women are willing to take the challenges. We can do what the men do, and we’re making history. I’m gonna be on top of that history list ahead of Lomachenko. They’ll take our sport more serious and know that all the women may not be as daring as myself, but there are girls coming up who won’t be afraid of taking challenges.”

PROCLAIMING DOMINANCE

Although Shields is making her debut at super welterweight, she is the heavy betting-favorite heading into her bout with Habazin. Habazin has already acquired three losses, one by stoppage, on her professional ledger. To make matters a bit more grim, aside from her loss to “First Lady” Cecilia Braekhus (36-0, 9 KO’s), none of her previous conquerors can claim the same skill set as Shields.

Nevertheless, win, lose or draw, 3kingsboxing will remain on top of this potentially historic prizefight to report all the latest updates.

“She’s just another opponent. She’s not anybody special and she may have worked her way up through the ranks to fight for these belts but our skills do not compare. I’m going to walk all over her.

Skill wise, she does a lot of covering up and, I’m sorry, but she’s soft. I have no respect for the girl, she’s just soft. The only good thing I’ll say about her is she has good hand speed but she don’t have no head movement. My skills are just way above all of the women in women’s boxing.”

By: Bakari Simpson