Claressa Shields To Fight For Third Divisional World Title On August 17
Claressa Shields is looking to make history once again after becoming the undisputed middleweight champion in her last fight.
Shields will move down in weight and compete for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title on August 17 when she takes on Ivana Habazin. The fight will headline a Showtime-televised card from the Dort Federal Event Center in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Michigan.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist became boxing’s second-ever female undisputed WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF champion when she defeated Christina Hammer this past April in New Jersey. Shields, who also won titles at 168 pounds, will now look to become a three-division world champion with a win over Habazin. This will be Shields’ 10th pro bout and her seventh world title fight. In a press release sent to Fightful, Shields expressed her excitement over getting to return home to Flint for her first pro fight there.
“It’s hard to even put into words how excited I am to be returning home as undisputed champion and fighting in front of all my fans in Flint,” said Shields. “And having the opportunity to become world champion in a third weight division faster than any man or woman in boxing history will make August 17 a night I will cherish forever. It’s another big step forward in lifting women’s boxing on the road to equality.”
Habazin, a 29-year-old from Croatia, is looking to become a multi-weight world champion as well. Habazin once held the IBF welterweight title in 2014 but lost the belt in her first title defense later that year when she lost a 10-round decision to Cecilia Braekhus to crown the first-ever undisputed women’s champion. Since then, Habazin would go on to challenge for the WBC junior middleweight title and even held the IBO middleweight title last year.
This will be Habazin’s first fight in the United States after spending the majority of her career fighting in Croatia. Habazin has won her last five fights after a loss to Mikaela Lauren back in 2016.
