In what was her most impressive fight to date, Claressa Shields dominated Christina Hammer in defending the International Boxing Federation middleweight title via unanimous decision at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on April 13, 2019.
Shields, (9-0, 2KO) was consistently the more offensive boxer during the ten round contest. Shields, a Detroit native, also utilized an efficient jab and displayed a deft defense against Hammer in what served as the 24 year olds best all-around performance since her career began on the undercard of the IBF light heavyweight title match between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev on November 19, 2016.
"I knew I could hurt her. I thought I finished her in round eight. I thought the fight should have been stopped," Shields said. "She was holding on to me. I just told myself, stay cool, stay cool. I was trying to get the perfect punch to get her out of there."
Shields is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and defended the International Boxing Federation title she won on June 22, 2018 in her home state of Detroit for the third time in defeating Hammer.