When you’re as good as Claressa Shields, dominant wins are simply an expected part of the job. Shields held up her end on Saturday, dominating Maricela Cornejo in Shields’ backyard of Detroit to remain undisputed middleweight champion.
Cornejo stepped into the fight on short notice, replacing Hanna Gabriels after Gabriels failed a pre-fight drug test. The opportunity to become undisputed champion was worth the risk of not having full preparation for the bout for Cornejo, who entered the fight as a massive underdog.
Unsurprisingly, Shields — the greatest female boxer in history — dominated the action from the opening bell.
By Round 4, Shields was sitting along the ropes, shaking her head and avoiding Cornejo’s punches while whipping counter shots in return. Cornejo simply did not have the tools in her toolbox to make Shields hesitate or even respect her.
Shields’ right hand landed at will throughout the bout, though it never appeared to shake or affect Cornejo. Instead, it was simply an accumulation of punches round over round while Shields piled up points on the scorecards.
Despite the differential in skill and effective offense, Cornejo continued to try to make something happen with her own…
