Claressa Shields said that Christina Hammer would resort to retreat mode once she felt her power, and "T-Rex" was right.
Shields broke through Hammer's strong jab with a jab of her own, getting inside to repeatedly land overhand rights to blast the German boxer en route to a unanimous decision (98-92 on all three judges' cards) to be crowned the undisputed women's middleweight champion of the world at the Adrian Phillips Theater at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., on Saturday night.
"I am the 'Greatest Woman of All Time,'" Shields said in the ring following her dominant performance. "Give me that! Give me that! Call me the 'Greatest Woman of All Time,' first and foremost."
Following that, Shields didn't waste any time in calling out the first and only other female boxer to be crowned an undisputed titleholder in welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus, saying that they could fight at a catchweight of 154 pounds.
"I want to fight Cecilia Braekhus at 154," Shields said, adding that the fight should be on pay-per-view.
If Shields and Braekhus are unable to line up a super fight, Shields said that she'd be willing to face Savannah Marshall in her native England. Marshall did defeat Shields in the amateur ranks.
Until then, Shields (9-0, 2 KOs) furthered her claim of being the "G.W.O.A.T." (Greatest Woman of All Time) with a thoroughly dominating performance against Hammer (24-1, 11 KOs).
Shields negated Hammer, who fought upright with little movement, and her jab by breaking through with a jab of her own. Then, when inside, Shields frequently used an overhand right as her most damaging weapon of choice Saturday night.
That punch repeatedly landed in the eighth round, where Shields knocked Hammer's mouthpiece out and felt like she rocked the German boxer enough to earn a stoppage. A few more seconds on the clock and Shields might have gotten just that.
Although she didn't get the TKO, Shields did walk away with the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, Ring and lineal middleweight titles in tow to begin her undisputed reign.
Here's how her dominant performance went.
(All times Eastern)
Main event: Claressa Shields def. Christina Hammer by unanimous decision (98-92, 98-92, 98-92) for the undisputed world middleweight championship
Round 10: Hammer letting her hands fly early on, but it's seemingly way too late. She stood upright and relied on that jab too much without being willing to trade power shots with Shields. A triple-left jab from Shields moments before the fight ends. A dominant showing from Claressa Shields. "T-Rex" yelling "I'm the greatest woman of all time" after the fight. Before the decision is announced, final punch tallies show Shields landed 44 percent of her power shots to Hammer's 18 percent. (99-91 Shields)
Round 9: More one-way traffic, as Shields is walking down Hammer and nailing her with more of those overhand rights. Shields mixes in some body shots for good measure. A dominant performance from Shields here. Here comes the 10th and final round. (89-82 Shields)
Round 8: A left hook from Shields brushes Hammer back about seven seconds into the round. Shields with a flurry and a left hand that sends Hammer's mouthpiece flying. The ref allows Hammer to put the mouthpiece back in at the one-minute mark of the round. But Shields comes back moments later with an overhand right that she really sat on. Another overhand right, and Hammer is backpedaling just like Shields said she would. Shields is pouring it on and Hammer doesn't have any solutions. That was clearly Shields' best round. (79-73 Shields)
Round 7: A triple-left hand followed by that overhand right from Shields. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is bringing the heat, with all the momentum on her side entering the eighth round. (69-64 Shields)
Round 6: A better round from Hammer, as she let her hands go, especially that timid right hand. Shields had a flurry in the waning seconds of the round, but Hammer did just enough to take the round. (59-55 Shields)
Round 5: Shields again with that overhand right. It's seemingly open for business all night. Hammer, though, comes back, getting the better of an exchange moments later. But just as that's being said, Shields with a triple-jab, hook combination. Halfway through, it's clear that Hammer is not comfortable getting inside and trading shots with Shields. (50-45 Shields)
Round 4: "T-Rex" slips a series of punches before scoring on a left hook. With 10 seconds left in the round, Shields adds an overhand right. In her corner, Shields tells trainer John David Jackson that Hammer has a solid jab. (40-36 Shields)
Round 3: Shields making Hammer miss a whole lot of punches in this third round. Not much action, as Hammer was more than willing to stay on the outside and Shields wasn't able to get inside. Shields slipping punches is significant. (30-27 Shields)
Round 2: Big left hook catches Hammer across the jaw about 10 seconds into the round. It's interesting because Hammer is piecing together combinations, but they don't look to have much effect, as Shields' shots are packing more power. A strong right hand at the 30-second mark puts Hammer further on notice of Shields' power. (20-18 Shields)
Round 1: Shields with a counter overhand right 20 seconds into the bout. I wonder if that got Hammer's attention. Hammer immediately bouncing to the outside, looking to use her height and reach advantage and scoring with double and even triple jabs. Shields lands a left. Close first round, but Shields with the slight nod. (10-9 Shields)
10:54 p.m.: Here comes Claressa Shields, who's grooving with plenty of gold behind her. In only her ninth pro fight, the WBA/WBC/IBF middleweight champion looks to become just the second female boxer ever to be an undisputed champion. (Cecilia Braekhus is the current undisputed welterweight champion).
10:52 p.m.: The time for talking is over. It's time for an undisputed middleweight champion to be crowned. Here's the main event that we've been waiting for, with WBO middleweight champion Christina Hammer coming out to mostly boos to the sounds of Fat Joe and Remy Ma's "All The Way Up."
10:39 p.m.: Franklin announced as the winner by unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 98-92). A definite learning experience for the 25-year-old heavyweight. Up next will be the main event in one of the most significant fights in women's boxing history.
10:24 p.m.: Back-and-forth action here, with Booker and Franklin exchanging heavy shots right in the pocket at the end of the seventh round. Booker lost via unanimous decision to James Toney about 15 years ago, before doing a 12-year prison bid. He returned to boxing last year and won three consecutive fights.
9:53 p.m.: Rydell Booker and Jermaine Franklin introduced as the co-main event of the card is about to begin.
9:37 p.m.: Wallin-Kisner ends in a no-contest as a result of an accidental headbutt that opened up a cut on Kisner. Disappointing U.S. debut for Wallin.
9:23 p.m.: The main card begins with a heavyweight tilt between Nick Kisner fighting out of Baltimore and Otto Wallin from Sweden, making his U.S. debut.
9:15 p.m.: This card is live on Showtime.
8:57 p.m.: Both Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer are in the building at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., ahead of their unifying title fight for the undisputed crown.
Shields vs. Hammer main card results
- Claressa Shields def. Christina Hammer by unanimous decision (98-92 x 3) for the IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO/Ring/lineal middleweight titles
- Co-main event: Jermaine Franklin def. Rydell Booker via unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 98-92); Heavyweights
- Otto Wallin vs. Nick Kisner declared no-contest (accidental headbutt); Heavyweights