Claressa Shields' pursuit of making more boxing history — or herstory as she likes to call it — will have to wait.
Shields' May 9 bout against Marie-Eve Dicaire for the undisputed junior middleweight crown has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Salita Promotions announced in a press release Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, the real fight is outside the ring right now," Shields' promoter Dmitriy Salita said. "Once our invisible opponent is beaten, we can get back to watching two undefeated champions and the two best [junior middleweights] in the world vie for the undisputed world title as Claressa Shields continues to build her incredible legacy in female boxing."
As Salita alluded to, Shields was set to put her WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles on the line, as was Dicaire with her IBF belt. The inaugural WBA (Super) title was also set to be up for grabs, making the highly-anticipated match a shot at undisputed glory. Plus, it was scheduled to take place at the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, Mich., marking the first time in Shields' pro career that she would have fought in her hometown.
In January, Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) scored a unanimous decision over Ivana Habazin to become the fastest boxer — male or female — to be crowned a three-division world champion, as it was only her 10th pro fight. Whenever the Shields-Dicaire fight happens, the 25-year-old GWOAT (Greatest Woman of All-Time) will have a chance to add more history to her name, as a victory would make her the first woman in boxing history to become undisputed champion in two weight classes, as Shields already reigns as the undisputed middleweight champ.
Despite having to wait until the global pandemic of COVID-19 subsides, Shields is keeping in great spirits and encouraging others to do the same.
Shields wrote in her post, "Just wanted to check in with my fans and friends and just give a few words of encouragement. I love you all. Let’s take this time to focus on our fitness, diet and families. The more of us that listen to the instructions given the sooner this Coronavirus epidemic will be over."
The coronavirus outbreak also hasn't slowed Shields down from mashing the gas pedal in trying to get Laila Ali to come out of retirement and ink a blockbuster bout with her. She recently jabbed the former champion by saying Ali isn't relevant in today's boxing landscape.