The Dirt Federal Event Centre in Flint, Michigan is the place where history could very well take place this Friday night for female boxing.
FITE TV is the place to see the action unfold, and a wealth of gold is on the line in the headliner.
Claressa Shields (10-0, KO2) is widely regarded as one of the premier operators in the sport, and she has already been an undisputed champion at Middleweight in only ten professional fights so far.
Shields now attempts to become a two-weight undisputed champion, a feat not achieved by either gender in the sport’s history, when she defends her WBC and WBO Super Welterweight titles in her home town against IBF champion, Marie Eve Dicaire (17-0, KO0). The WBA “Super” world title is also up for grabs for the winner here.
‘T-Rex’ Shields needs little introduction, turning professional November 2016 after a glittering unpaid career where she struck Olympic Gold twice in 2012 and 2016.
It only took the 25-year-old four fights to become world champion, stopping Nikki Adler in five to win the WBC and vacant IBF Super Middleweight straps in August 2017, and she has gone from strength to strength from there.
In just two fights later she became Middleweight champion, but she had to get off the floor in the opening round to defeat Hanna Gabriels to eventually win the WBA (Super) and vacant IBF crowns.
Claressa added the vacant WBC belt a fight later, winning every round against brave Scot, Hannah Rankin, and after one defence of the trio of titles, she went for undisputed greatness.
It should have been a close affair against WBO champion, Christina Hammer, but Shields dominated in a lopsided points win.
Shields last appeared in January 2020, becoming a three-weight world champion with another landslide win on the cards, knocking Ivana Habazin down in the sixth to capture the vacant WBC and WBO Super Welterweight titles.
Greatness is calling, but to become two-weight undisputed queen, Shields must take care of Marie Eve Dicaire, who has yet to taste defeat as a professional.
The 34-year-old southpaw fights outside of Canada for the first time, and it’s unclear just how good she is. She won her IBF belt in December 2018 with a points win over Chris Namus, and has defended three times so far.
Dicaire is yet to register an early victory in seventeen wins, and all her defences have come on the cards, against Mikaela Lauren, Maria Lindberg and Ogleidis Suarez.
It’s unclear what Shield’s future plans are, with a multi-year contract with MMA outfit PFL signed, but she has suggested she will continue to box too.
A meeting with her amateur rival, Savannah Marshall has been craved by fans for some time, and with the Brit now holding a world title, it’s a mouth watering prospect, but first, the self proclaimed ‘GWOAT’ has to take care of business against Dicaire.
Prediction: Anything other than a Shields win here would be a major surprise, and I can’t see her taking the eye off the prize, and it’s a massive prize on offer.
Both don’t carry major power, so I expect Shields to go through her usual motions and take a wide points win to make history.
It’s an all-female card in Michigan, with a Heavyweight eight rounder looking like the highlight of the preliminaries.
Houston-based Danielle Perkins (2-0, KO1) is aiming to bring some attention to the often ignored division, and the former amateur world champion takes on Monika Harrison (2-1-1, KO1).
The two met in August last year, with Perkins winning every round of four, and it’s likely that the scorecards will be needed again here in what should be a clear Perkins win.
At Middleweight, Logan Holler (9-0-1, KO3) takes on former world title challenger, Schemelle Baldwin (3-2-1, KO2) over eight.
South Carolina’s Holler is unbeaten, and although Baldwin has challenged for world honours, she hasn’t won in three, and was held to a draw by the 0-1 Sarah Rueda last time out. Holler should come through on points.
A six rounder at Bantamweight should go the way of Jamie Mitchell (5-0-2, KO3) who is in with the experienced Noemi Bosques (12-15-3, KO2). Bosques has been stopped three times, but I expect Mitchell to need the cards.
