Claressa Shields Advances to 17-0 with a Wide Decision over Lani Daniels

After a few bewildered rounds Claressa Shields managed to wrangle in the fleet-footed Lani Daniels and pour on the punches in bunches to retain the undisputed heavyweight world championship on Saturday.

All in front of a sold-out crowd in Detroit.

Shields (17-0, 3 KOs) expected a tough New Zealander in Daniels (11-3-2) at Little Caesars Arena, but looked surprised by the track meet given in the first few rounds.

Shades of her friend Shakur Stevenson.

“I saw she was going to run,” said Shields. “I had to go to the body.”

While poised in her fighting stance Shields followed the challenger around the boxing ring and opened-up with quick bursts when Daniels came close. It was the same story for the first three rounds with Shields splattering punches in bunches in quick bursts.

Daniels stopped the carousel and unloaded blows against Shields in the fourth round and suddenly there was a real fight. The crowd got into it.

Once Daniels stopped the moving, the fight suddenly slipped into another gear. Shields began to slam punches into the New Zealander’s body and Daniels fired back. Though she couldn’t match the champion’s speed it proved she was willing to exchange regardless of the cost.

After a sharp left hook counter by Daniels in the sixth, Shields erupted with a volley of blows up and down the Kiwi’s body. Daniels withstood the ferocious display by Shields who seemed surprised.

The seventh round saw Shields increase the pressure. It looked like the three-division undisputed champion slipped into knockout mode and began pummeling Daniels with double left hooks to the body and head. And she repeated the combo again with frightening results. Daniels was still standing.

During the eighth round it seemed Shields had expended a lot of energy going for the knockout. Daniels, though tired too, began to move forward instead of backward and exchanged with Shields in warrior fashion. If she was going down she was going down swinging.

Shields had only two rounds left to get the knockout and came out with left hooks that connected like hammers. Daniels kept swinging and swinging in search of the perfect punch to change the momentum.

It didn’t come.

Daniels knew she was behind and was willing to go blow for blow with Shields. Both exchanged with Shields connecting with a left hook and Daniels giving left hooks back. Neither fighter was hurt and once again Shields looked undamaged.

After 10 rounds one judge scored it 100-90, while two others saw it 99-91 all for Shields.

“Lani is strong and she got a big head,” said Shields adding that she was butted twice by the Kiwi. “

It was Shields third win as a heavyweight and second defense of the championship she won with a quick blast-out of Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.

Other Bouts

Former world champion Tony Harrison (30-4-1, 21 KOs) returned to boxing after a two-year absence. Despite the layoff and suffering a ninth-round knockdown to Edward Diaz (15-7, 12 KOs), Harrison managed to survive and win by unanimous decision after 10 rounds in a middleweight fight.

Pryce Taylor (9-0, 6 KOs) defeated veteran Robert Simms (12-5-1, 3 KOs) by unanimous decision after eight rounds of trying to become the first man to knock out the heavy heavyweight. He was forced to win by decision.

Super lightweight eliminator

A super lightweight eliminator saw Samantha Worthington (12-0, 7 KOs) come out storming with the big bombs against France’s southpaw Victoire Piteau (14-3) early in the fight. If she was looking for an early knockout, it didn’t happen.

Little by little Worthington’s punch output slowed and Piteau began finding the range for her combinations. Though Piteau didn’t have power in her blows, the ability to connect on Worthington’s face became obvious in the second half.

Piteau increased the tempo of her punches and suddenly the momentum shifted in her favor. Worthington no longer had the snap in her punches and when she landed Piteau immediately countered with telling blows. It seemed to give the French woman more incentive.

In the last three rounds it seemed that Piteau had taken over the fight with her punch output, but Worthington never quit. The American fighter kept trying to deliver the big blows and though some landed, none were able to hurt Piteau. It kept the fight close.

After 10 rounds one judge saw it a draw 95-95, another 96-94 and a third a ridiculous 99-91 for Worthington. The American fighter promoted by Claressa Shields won the elimination bout by majority decision. It was very close.

Featherweight eliminator

A featherweight title eliminator saw Canada’s Caroline Veyre (10-1) out-punch France’s Licia Boudersa (24-4-2) over 10 rounds to win by unanimous decision.

Veyre needed a couple of rounds to assess the taller Boudersa and open up with speedy combinations and dazzle her way past the French fighter.

Though Boudersa had a height and reach advantage, she couldn’t pin down the more agile Veyre whose in-and-  bout attacks proved too elusive. Toward the latter rounds Boudersa was able to connect with rights. But Veyre’s speedy combinations always kept her on top.

Constant holding by both fighters led to a head butt that opened a cut on Boudersa. After 10 rounds all three judges scored in favor of Veyre 99-91 twice and 98-92.

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