When Claressa Shields steps inside the ring next Saturday night to face off against Christina Hammer in one of the biggest female boxing matches in history, she knows a war stands before her.
Shields and Hammer headline the card on Showtime from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She will be defending her WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight titles, with the WBC and The Ring belts up for grabs.
As part of her preparation for the epic bout, Shields hit up the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to focus her attention to detail. She’ll conclude her camp in Flint, Michigan, her hometown.
“We’ve been going twice a day every day except Sunday for five-straight weeks,” said Shields. “We put in lots of rounds sparring, tons of sprinting, pad work, push-ups, crunches and drills to help with my head movement.
“I’ve put my body through so much on this camp, and now it’s time to start cutting it down a bit. I’m in great shape and my weight is on point. I’m also in a great place mentally and very happy with this camp overall.”
This past December, Shields improved to 8-0 with a decision victory over Femke Hermans, a fellow German like Hammer. She has held some version of the middleweight title since her second pro fight, a fourth round TKO vs. Szivia Szabados back in 2017.
“I don’t want these belts handed to me. I’m coming to win every round on April 13. I’m a different kind of animal and Christina is going to see that on fight night. I’m ready. That’s it.”
The two-time Olympic gold medalist offered these words to Hammer, who stands 24-0 with one no-contest in her career.
“I know what I can and will do on April 13,” said Shields. “I already told Christina I’m going to beat her and mess her up. I’m taking this fight 100 percent seriously. I’m going to go out there and dominate her.
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