Female Fight News for week of Jan. 8, 2018 Claressa Shields
By David A. Avila
World champion Claressa Shields opens up 2018 against a formidable foe in Tori Nelson the undefeated champion from Virginia.
Shields (4-0, 2 KOs) defends the WBC and IBF super middleweight titles against Nelson (17-0-3, 2 Kos) at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York. Showtime will televise the Salita Promotions card.
“I’m truly excited to have the chance to demonstrate my skills against an opponent the caliber of Tori Nelson,” Shields, 22, said when it was first announced. “I’m honored to be headlining the first ShoBox of 2018, and I know January 12 will be a great night for the fans. This will be the beginning of a historic year for me and for women’s boxing.”
So far Shields has performed a scorch and burn policy against all opponents in her one-year reign of terror. She’s like pro boxing’s version of General Tecumseh Sherman as she devastates all in her path.
Next on the crosshairs is Nelson, a daughter of the south who lives in Ashburn, Virginia near the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains.
“Ever since Claressa turned pro, I have wanted this fight,” Nelson, 41, said. “She’s young and talented, but my experience will make the difference. Since I became a boxer, I have dreamed of being in big fights on television. I am confident that I will win this fight and remain undefeated. And I plan to retire as an undefeated world champion.”
It’s a lofty goal for the challenger.
Despite the advantage in pro experience it’s difficult to prepare for the speed of Shields inside the boxing ring. It’s especially difficult to defend against a salvo of two, three and four punches.
So far, the only Shields opponent able to compete on somewhat equal terms has been Franchon Crews who willingly made her pro debut against the double Olympic gold medalist in November 2016. They burned out the ring when they fought.
Crews
Crews was recently signed by Salita Promotions who are quickly amassing an impressive roster of female prizefighters. They already have Shields, Elena Gradinar, Elena Savelyeva and added Crews last week.
The recently signed Crews (2-1) makes her first appearance under the Salita banner against Tiffany Woodard (4-9-3) in a light heavyweight clash. It’s not an easy fight. Woodard has fought many of the best fighters above 168 pounds including former world champions Sonya Lamonakis, Carlette Ewell, and Kali Reis. Expect a worthy battle.
Most fans forget that when Shields announced her venture into the professional fight world, she could not find an opponent. Nobody wanted to fight her unless it was for a million dollars. The one who stepped up was Crews who was also making her pro debut.
If you haven’t seen that fight take a look. However, watching it on video tape cannot match the sound of impact the two female fighters unleashed on each other. That same night, Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev fought. Their light heavyweight world title match could not match the intensity Shields and Crews unleashed in Las Vegas that night.
Female Fight News
China
Fan Yin (3-0) defeated Wenju He (2-1) by unanimous decision after six rounds on Sunday Jan. 7. The bantamweight fight was held in Xi An. Also, Yuan Nie (3-0) defeated Lan Xio (2-1) by unanimous decision in a flyweight clash.
Ying Cao (1-1) won by split decision after six rounds versus Fangyu Jia (0-2) on Friday Jan. 5. The flyweight contest took place in Beijing.
Denmark
Sarah Mahfoud (5-0) defeated Nana Chakvashvili (4-2) by technical knockout in the fourth round on Friday Jan. 5. The featherweight fight took place in Copenhagen.
Japan
Jun Yabuki (10-0) won by knockout in the first round versus Yokkao Saenchaigym (0-3) on Monday Jan. 1. The flyweight match took place in Tokyo. Also, Momoko Kanda (10-9-2) scored a second round technical knockout over Petchompoo Mor Krungthephonburi (2-2) in a minimum weight fight.
Serbia
Nina Radovanovic (12-1) defeated Ajla Lukac (1-2) by split decision after six rounds on Friday Jan. 5. The bantamweight fight was held in Novi Pazar.
USA
On Friday Jan. 12, super middleweights Claressa Shields (4-0) and Tori Nelson (17-0-3) clash in a 10 round bout for the WBC and IBF world titles at Verona, New York. Showtime will televise. Also, Franchon Crews (2-1) and Tiffany Woodward (4-9-3) meet in a six round light heavyweight clash.
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