DETROIT (AP) — Claressa Shields knocked out WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse early in the second round Saturday night, earning titles in a fourth and fifth division.
Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, moved up two weight classes to fight at 175 pounds as a light heavyweight and also claimed Lepage-Joanisse’s heavyweight belt. Her previous titles were at 154, 160 and 168 pounds.
She joined Roy Jones Jr. as the only two boxers in more than 100 years to win middleweight and heavyweight titles. That’s another feat that makes her one of the greatest athletes of all time in any sport, according to Shields.
“What I’ve been able to do in my career, from the amateur to the pros, I’m definitely top five,” Shield said. “If you want to put me up there next to Michael Jordan, Kobe (Bryant), Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali. I’m definitely in that conversation.”
Shields (15-0, 3 KOs) ended the first round with a series of combinations and started the second with more, barely breaking a sweat, and landed a flurry of shots that sent Lepage-Joanisse down for the third and final time 1:09 into the round.
