Scene of Boxing:You’re familiar with Claressa Shields. What does what she accomplished on Saturday mean?Smith: Well, I believe there are a couple directions that can be taken. First off, there is really no competition because she has won every division in which she has ever competed, which is 154 to 168.
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Many of the super middleweight and middleweight classifications have fallen apart somewhat. Actually, not much is happening in those divisions.After losing her fight against Franchon Crews-Dezurn at 168, Shay [Shadasia] Green appeared to be a strong candidate for Shields. A week or so ago, she competed once again on the Amanda Serrano event. I adore Shay, but even though she prevailed in the fight, I don’t think she truly has any rivalry with Claressa; instead, she ought to have made a much louder statement. A potential fight with Natasha Jonas at 154 was discussed, but it never actually happened. Additionally, Claressa finds it extremely dangerous to move down to the welter weight class at 147, and no competitor has ever truly convinced her of that.Smith: Where she is, she has no rivals. So why not ascend? In the women’s heavyweight division, there has been some movement. Thus, I believe it was her chance to see if she could actually make anything happen. Since most of the action is in the lower weights, perhaps there are enough women in that class, or who can fight at 175, to make it an interesting chance in terms of where women’s boxing goes. Given that she was taking advantage of the chance to push herself and that her walking weight is in the 180s, dropping to 175 meant that she could accomplish it rather naturally. She could have returned to the gym, avoided dessert, and maintained her fight weight without having to embark on an absurd diet. She so had many opportunities as a result. It also provided her with a chance to consider how she could begin to truly establish her dominance in the ring, which is something that people have long held against her due to her lack of knockouts. She did, in fact, work on it. She focused on it during camp. She also worked on somewhat altering her style of play by using the weight of the battle to find a way to twist her body and take a stance on her blows in order to establish her dominance. She was able to convey that quite effectively.BS: Did Lepage-Joanisse truly pose a threat to her?Smith: Not invariably. At 175 pounds, she was the WBC champion, but was she really a fighter? No. However, Shields is putting stuff out there on the board to see what sticks because there aren’t many women in boxing at the moment.Therefore, I believe it’s critical to comprehend what Claressa is attempting to accomplish, which is to pave the way for women of all weights while simultaneously locating a venue in which she can remain competitive. Alternatively, she may seek to draw attention to herself, act as a market leader, and make 175 appealing to those who are available to fight at that weight. We’ll see where it goes because, as Martha Salazar shown when she competed at heavyweight, women can have excellent prospects if they perform well in light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions.BS:Prominent athletes such as Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and even Pete Sampras garnered notoriety for their supremacy in a particular sport. It seems that boxing fans prefer close bouts over fighters demonstrating their superiority over other elite competitors. What are your thoughts about that?Smith:That might be the case. Look, when Shields entered the ring and defeated every elite female fighter at those weights, Christina Hammer held the middleweight title for, well, I’m not sure how long; she went through the same experience as Nicki Adler. These women, who are primarily European fighters with a big fan following and a lengthy history of success at those weights, are formidable opponents, and she easily defeated them. Thus, I believe that the question of potential rivals for her exists.She may consider resuming her fight with Franchon Crews-Dezun. Franchon would undoubtedly appreciate receiving a respectable salary from the transaction. Together, they began their professional careers, and Claressa frequently remarked that she was the hardest batter she had ever encountered. Will there be a competitive fight in that? Perhaps. But is Franchon considered a respectable combatant by the public? That’s a whole different question.If you look historically, Ann Wolfe and Layla Ali were the heavyweights in middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions. In that hierarchy of legendary combatants, where does she fit in? She would undoubtedly triumph over those fighters as well, but since they are regarded as formidable opponents at this weight, that bout might be viewed as potentially more competitive. You have a fighter like Katie Taylor who has more opportunity for really competitive fights due of her weight class and the fact that there are more women competing there, so I think you’re right and the momentum is currently in the lesser weights. Another question is whether the new generation of women who will compete in the Olympics in 2020 and 2024 will present opportunities. However, it gets really troublesome when they enter the professional ranks and have enough fight experience and pedigree to make them competitive for someone like Claressa. Years go by far too quickly. At 27, Claressa has the option to continue fighting for a further ten years if she so desires.BS:Over the next ten years, as Shields ages and wins fights in various ways, will her appeal to fans grow?Smith:That’s a really good point, in my opinion, but she has such a tremendous skill set and ring IQ. It will be interesting to observe how precisely she handles the physical body’s inevitable slowing. She’s been boxing since she was eleven years old, you know. She fought in 78 bouts in the amateur division alone. A lot of ring time, that. However, as a person, she’s not only improving the sport but also laying down the gauntlet in terms of just accepting women for who they are. I believe that will most likely be a significant aspect of her actual legacy. What’s amazing is that she chose to live at all, and to not only survive but lead such a successful life is something I believe will be increasingly recognised and valued in the future.
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