Claressa Shields has notched another historical feat following a stupendous victory over heavyweight contender Danielle Perkins. In a match held at heavyweight with all of the available world titles on the line, Shields successfully defeated Perkins in a 10-round domination to become undisputed. The two fighters headlined a Salita Promotions card in Shields’ hometown of Flint, based in Michigan, at the Dort Financial Center on February 2.

Claressa Shields Vs. Danielle Perkins

It would be Claressa Shields’ (16-0, 3 KO’s) first match in the women’s heavyweight (175+ lbs) division against the older and less experienced Danielle Perkins (5-1, 2 KO’s). Shields’ WBC heavyweight title, which she won during her last bout, and the vacant WBO and IBF titles were made available for the February 2 fight. The WBA, the last to recognize a women’s heavyweight division, has also made their version of the women’s heavyweight title available, effectively making the fight an undisputed battle.

Despite Shields claiming in her post-match interview to have dealt with a shoulder injury she suffered two days before the match, she did remarkably well against the taller and naturally bigger Perkins who sought to test Shields with her size and reach. However, her attempts were quickly foiled by Claressa Shields whose superior boxing skills were on full display and prevented Perkins from landing any meaningful hit.

On the offensive side, Shields has proven to be quite stronger at 175-pounds and above and this was evident in her match against Perkins where her hand speed and power seamlessly intertwined to make for a devastating impact as every punch landed appeared to carry more weight. This eventually resulted in Shields knocking down the naturally bigger Perkins in the 10th round.

While Claressa Shields did have issues with Perkins’ jab, with Perkins’ reach of 72 inches clearly working in her favor against Shields’ 68 inch reach, overall she put up a stupendous performance with Perkins unable to do much against the fluid-moving and rapid-attacking Shields.

After the 10 official scheduled rounds, Shields was declared the winner by unanimous decision (UD) through scorecards of 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92, presenting a nigh-flawless victory over Perkins. Aside from successfully retaining her WBC heavyweight title, Shields also won the vacant WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles to become the first undisputed female heavyweight champion in history. She also became first female champion to become undisputed thrice, with her prior two undisputed victories at middleweight (160 lbs) preceding her most recent victory at 175+ lbs.