Claressa Shields dominates Maricela Cornejo

A crowd of 11,784 fans showed up at the first-ever boxing event at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, and many more tuned in on DAZN, to watch undisputed Middleweight World Champion Claressa “G.W.O.A.T.” Shields continue her domination of women’s boxing with a clear-cut 10-round unanimous decision over No. 1 rated contender Maricela Cornejo of Los Angeles.

 

With the screams of her devoted fans ringing throughout the arena, Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) showed her brilliance in besting the formidable Cornejo (16-6, 6 KOs) in every possible category, while still making the fight an entertaining affair.

 

True to her word, Shields tried for the elusive knockout, swinging several attempted homerun shots, many of which landed. But Cornejo’s toughness allowed her to make it through the portions of the fight where Shields’ speed and ability surpassed her defense.

 

The scores were 100-90, 100-90 and 100-89. With the victory, Shields retains her WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and WBF Women’s World Middleweight Championships.

 

“I feel great,” said Shields post-victory. “I was landing my shots. I won every round like I knew I could. I went for the knockout how many times this fight? Maricela is tough. She did a great job. Height doesn’t matter and power doesn’t matter either. It’s all about the skills and will and heart, and I always have more than the other girls.”

 

Shields said her game plan worked to perfection, but still added room for improvement.

 

"Stay smart and not get hit with her big right hand,” she said of her strategy. “Hit bigger to the body and check her to the head. I knew I could win. Straight right for the money. When I would hit her harder, she would take off. I led off with the right too many times, so I will work on that when we get back to the gym. Maricela is super tough. She was in shape and able to take the shots and able to get away from them. It was a great fight. I can’t wait to go home and watch it and see what I can work on."