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“It feels unbelievable, to be honest,” Shields says. “I had a really hard training camp. And just last Friday, I tore my labrum in my left shoulder, so I wasn’t able to use my good jab today. But I didn’t want to call the fight off because I had asked God to give me a big fight in my hometown. He did that. So I decided to keep going through with it.”

She adds: “I feel so happy. And shout out to my opponent, Danielle Perkins. Man, that girl was strong as hell.”

Asked whether she was surprised that Perkins came back strong after nearly going out in the third, Shields mentions the confusion over the contracted weight limit.

“Knowing that the fight was at 180lb when I thought it was at 175lb, I had to cut a little bit of weight, and she didn’t have to. So I knew she would be a little bit stronger than what I thought. But I know I can get the job done, and I did.

“I showed I was the bigger puncher, I was the better boxer. I dropped her. To me, I dropped her twice, to be honest. And the last one I seen it, I just was like, give it to her. And I dropped her the last round, which I knew I could do it because I’m really strong at heavyweight.”

Shields wins by unanimous decision

It’s official. Claressa Shields has defeated Danielle Perkins by a 10-round unanimous decision to become the the undisputed women’s heavyweight champion by scores of 100-89, 97-92 and 99-90. (The Guardian had it 99-90.)

LAS VEGAS — This risk was worthwhile for David Benavidez.

Faced with the most diverse, resistant opponent of his career — and one with only 11 fights on his pro record — “The Mexican Monster” demonstrated Saturday night that he is capable of beating elite light heavyweights.

The former WBC super middleweight champion wasn’t at his best in his first fight at the 175-pound limit this past June, partly due to hand injuries Benavidez thinks, in hindsight, should’ve caused him to postpone his bout with one-time WBC light heavyweight champ Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Benavidez beat Gvozdyk by unanimous decision, the same result he produced in beating Cuban southpaw David Morrell Jr. on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. This was an obviously better Benavidez, however, faced with a much more imposing opponent who pushed him in ways a faded Gvozdyk couldn’t test the 28-year-old emerging Mexican-American superstar.

“He knows my punching power is real,” Benavidez said late Saturday night. “He knows every time I get in there with a fighter, that’s exactly how they leave, just like that. But I was mad because Gvozdyk didn’t leave like that. He didn’t seem as hurt as all these other fighters, but because my hands were injured. Now that my hands are good, you see that the power of David Benavidez is real.”

An aggressive Benavidez certainly made Morrell respect his power in the early rounds of their pay-per-view main event. It was Morrell, though, who scored a knockdown during the 11th round, when he hit an off-balance Benavidez and made him use his gloves to touch the canvas.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 01: WBC interim light heavyweight champion David Benavidez (L) lands a body shot on WBA light heavyweight champion David Morrell Jr. during the ninth round of a title fight at T-Mobile Arena on February 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Benavidez won the WBA title by unanimous decision. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) went down for just the second time in 30 professional fights. Before Saturday, the 28-year-old two-division champion hadn’t been down since Ronald Gavril dropped him in the 12th round of a bout Benavidez won by split decision in September 2017 at nearby Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

“That little bulls***-ass knockdown, though,” Benavidez said, “mother****er caught me off balance.”

“[But] he hits harder than everybody I’ve faced,” Benavidez acknowledged. “Obviously, because of 175 [pounds]. He’s a good fighter. But I just think my experience alone, I’ve seen so many styles. I’ve seen Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, Gvozdyk, Anthony Dirrell. So I’m just getting better and better. But this dude was good. He brought it until the 12th round. He’s a good fighter, but like I said, I just showed what level I’m on.”

Benavidez has arrived at the level where he deserves an opportunity to fight the winner of the light heavyweight championship rematch between fully unified champ Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) and Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) on Feb. 22 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Turki Alalshikh, who has arranged numerous high-profile fights on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has already invited Benavidez to sit ringside for the second Beterbiev vs. Bivol bout in three weeks.

“I would definitely love to go,” Benavidez said. “Right now, I’m just thinking about taking a break, bro. I been training for four and a half months, been preparing for this fight. But I would love to go over there and I would love to fight those guys. That’s what I’m here for. I feel like every fight I take is going to be the hardest fight ever, until the next fight. And that’s how it should be, because we’re going up in competition, we’re going up against the best of the best.

“My track record now, I have a pretty good résumé — not pretty good, I have a really good résumé. So, every fighter I’m going up against is better than the last one. And I’m happy I’m able to show what level I’m on, and I’m happy to continue to progress in my career.”

Beterbiev beat Bivol by majority decision in their first fight, a 12-rounder in October at Kingdom Arena. The Russian-born, Montreal-based knockout artist would be a completely different challenge for Benavidez. If the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO light heavyweight champ beats Bivol again, Benavidez could find himself in the ring with one of boxing’s most dangerous punchers.

Unlike Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs), a southpaw in his physical prime, Beterbiev is right-handed. He also turned 40 in January.

Morrell, meanwhile, thinks inexperience cost him against Benavidez. The Miami resident had only 11 professional fights on his record before he battled Benavidez. Once the bell rang Saturday night, Morrell realized how difficult it would be to overcome Benavidez’s edge in experience. Benavidez’s ability to dictate the pace and range of their fight were among the things that Morrell feels cost him.

“It was definitely one of the main factors in this fight,” Morrell said, “where it didn’t tilt the balance 100%, but it definitely was something that played a role in the outcome of the fight.”

Ronnie Shields, Morrell’s head trainer, seconded Morrell’s perspective on not having enough professional experience to beat Benavidez. Once the 27-year-old contender gains some more, he would like another opportunity to box Benavidez.

Morrell claims he learned Saturday night that he can beat Benavidez, who seemed a lot less interested in a rematch down the line. The WBC interim and WBA world light heavyweight champion pointed out that he defeated Morrell convincingly on the scorecards — 118-108, 115-111 and 115-111.

The only rematch that concerns Benavidez at the moment is scheduled for Feb. 22. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez remains completely disinterested in facing Benavidez, which makes the Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 winner the only opponent that makes sense for Benavidez next.

Money won’t be an issue, as Alalshikh has repeatedly proven by making mega-fights that he wants to see. Benavidez and the Beterbiev vs. Bivol winner will also be on the same schedule since they will have fought only three weeks apart.

Claressa Shields looks to keep her perfect 15-0 record in tact when she faces the also undefeated Danielle Perkins (5-0) tonight in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Michigan. On the line in matchup are the IBF, WBC, WBF and WBO heavyweight titles. The fight card, which streams on DAZN pay-per-view, takes place at Dort Financial Center. Below, we will look at Shields Vs. Perkins fight card results, reactions, video highlights and more as the event takes place.

Shields Vs. Perkins Fight Card Date And Time

Sunday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Claressa Shields Vs. Danielle Perkins: When Does The Fight Start?

Shields Vs. Perkins Fight Card Main Event Ring Walk Time

Shields and Perkins are expected to walk to the ring at approximately 11:00 p.m. ET.

Shields Vs. Perkins Fight Card How To Watch Or Stream

DAZN Pay-Per-View

Shields Vs. Perkins Fight Card Price

A DAZN monthly subscription is $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $24.99 month-to-month. An annual subscription is $224.99.

Shields Vs. Perkins Fight Card Location

Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan

Shields Vs. Perkins Fight Card

Claressa Shields (c) vs. Danielle Perkins for the IBF, WBC, WBF and WBO heavyweight titles

Brandon Moore vs. Skylar Lacy for vacant USBA heavyweight title

Joshua Pagan vs. Ronal Ron; Lightweights

Pryce Taylor vs. Jerrell Nettles; Heavyweights

Leon Lawson III vs. Christopher Thompson; Middleweights

Joseph Hicks Jr. vs. Keon Papillion; Welterweights

Caroline Veyre vs. Carmen Vargas; Featherweights for WBA inter-continental title

Samantha Worthington vs. Vaida Masiokaite; Super Lightweights

Jaquan McElroy vs. Nathan Mitchell; Middleweights

Shields Vs. Perkins Fight Card Results, Reactions, Live Updates

Shields Vs. Perkins Fight Card: Claressa Shields

The big man from Morecambe is a two-time world heavyweight champion with statement wins over Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. He fell short for the first time in his professional career in May of 2024, battling Usyk for the undisputed title.

In the rematch, the Ukrainian put three of the four major belts on the line after vacating the IBF. He retained them with a unanimous decision, one which Fury branded a ‘robbery.’

Oleksandr Usyk's Team Finally Reacts To Tyson Fury's Shock Retirement After  Claiming He Was Robbed - Seconds Out

Less than a month later, ‘The Gypsy King’ would announce he was to hang up the gloves, ending with a phrase highlighting daylight robbery.

“Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet. I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing, it has been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it and I’m going to end with this; Dick Turpin wore a mask.”

Speaking to TalkSPORT, Usyk’s longtime promoter Alex Krassyuk joked that it was the ‘seventh’ time the Brit had announced his retirement.

“I thought it was the seventh time. That was my personal calculation.”

Krassyuk went on to praise Fury and said that he believes fans will see him step through the ropes once more.

“It’s 50/50. He did sound serious, but I can’t be sure he’s out of the ring forever. That’s my personal opinion, my hunch, my feeling. I still can see him fighting. It can be anything, like money, something interesting.

“He’s a champion. He’s strong. He’s well loved and respected in the world of boxing. Why should he quit? I think after six, seven months, he will have a rest and he will probably change his mind.”

Tyson Fury reveals the easiest fight of his career so far | DAZN News CA

 

Two Olympic gold medals. World championships in five weight divisions. The unofficial title as best pound-for-pound fighter in women’s boxing.

Claressa Shields (15-0, 3 KOs) seemingly has it all, yet still has something to prove during her undisputed heavyweight title fight Sunday against Danielle Perkins (5-0, 2 KOs).

 

Despite all of the accolades, Shields has yet to demonstrate consistent knockout power. She ended her last fight by TKO, but only after a stretch of almost seven years without a knockout. Now, Shields told USA TODAY Sports, her move up to the heavyweight division will unveil something new.Claressa Shields vs Danielle Perkins date, time, tickets, stream

“I’m way more comfortable fighting at heavyweight than I am at 154 pounds,’’ said Shields, who dropped down in weight after starting her pro career as a super middleweight at 168 pounds. “I always felt very, very strong there (at 168 pounds). Even though I wasn’t getting the knockouts, I was still beating girls up pretty bad. … But I’ve seen a huge difference in my power from when I fought at 154 and now that I’m fighting at heavyweight.’

Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins tickets: Cheapest prices, best seats  and more for 2025 Dort Financial Center boxing fight | Sporting News

 

Heading into the bout, Shields is a big favorite for obvious reasons.

Perkins is 42, more than a decade older than Shields, 29. She’s also far less experienced. But, she’s won two of her five pro fights by knockout, and at 6-foot she’ll have a significant size advantage.

In addition to being four inches taller than the 5-foot-8 Shields, Perkins also fought at more than 195 pounds three times. By contrast, Shields has never fought at more that 175 pounds, the weight at which she won the WBC and WBF world heavyweight belts in July with a second-round TKO of Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.

100 percent intent to kill': Shields and Perkins prepared for showdown -  Bad Left Hook

Height served Perkins well on the basketball court. From 2003 to 2006, she played at St. John’s, where she led the team in blocks during the 2004-05 season and led the team in rebounds the following season.