ATLANTA – Flint native Claressa Shields stopped Kaye Scott to capture the unified middleweight titles in front of more than 16,000 fans at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on August 15, cementing her as one of boxing’s biggest stars.
Celebrities and boxing royalty filled the arena Saturday to witness history as Shields sought to capture her 20th and 21st worlds titles.
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Shields (19-0, 4 KOs) put on a dominant display, knocking out unified WBC and WBA Champion Kaye Scott in the sixth round to once again stamp her claim as the world’s best middleweight.
The all-action scrap had the crowd at State Farm Arena on their feet from the opening bell for the first women’s main event in the history of the home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
Shields brought the stars out for her Atlanta debut, with Floyd Mayweather, Terrence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson sitting alongside entertainment A-listers Usher, Kevin Gates Brandy YFN Lucci and Hunxho.
Already the most accomplished woman in boxing history, Shields added yet another achievement that may never be replicated. The undisputed heavyweight champion became just the second heavyweight titlist in 120-plus years to successfully win a belt in a lower division, joining Boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. in accomplishing the feat.
After a huge barrage of shots in the opening minute of the first round, a massive hematoma formed over Scott’s forehead. Shields continued to press the action, controlling the pace and far out-punching and out-landing Scott in rounds two, three and four.
The defending champion had Shields against the ropes for most of the fifth, but it was by design as Shields used a tight guard and head movement to evade punches and counter.
Shields found an opening in the sixth, landing a left hook to Scott’s jaw that staggered the unified champion.
Shields continued to throw bombs and landed a flush overhand right that sent Scott tumbling back into the ropes. Clearly dazed, Scott beat the count, but was on shaky legs and her corner threw in the towel moments later, at 1:38 of the sixth.
“What a night!! I still can’t believe all of the fans who showed up to make this a sold-out show here at State Farm Arena,” Shields said. “I thank every single one of you.”
“I know I made it look easy, but Kaye Scott had power behind those punches. She’s a hell of an opponent. I felt sharp going into this fight, I had a great camp and it showed tonight. I listened to my corner, stayed patient and—we all saw what happened!”
“I can’t believe I had a knockout in front of Usher!”
After the fight, Scott (5-2-1), who competed as a top amateur for nearly two decades before turning professional, admitted she never faced anyone quite like Shields.
“The right hand landed pretty hard,” Scott said. “She warned me about it. I knew it was coming, but I hadn’t been hit like that before with a right hand that hard before. My legs were gone and I couldn’t recover. I tried everything, but she was just too good. I think it was her speed and power.”
“My jaw is fine,” Scott said after being asked if she hurt her jaw in the initial exchange in the sixth. “We had a clash of heads, I think in the second, that caused this big welt.”
Said promoter Dmitriy Salita: “It was yet another amazing and historic night for Claressa Shields, becoming the first woman to headline at State Farm Arena and drawing more than 16,000 for her debut in Atlanta. Claressa’s resume is unmatched, and she is once again the top middleweight in the world along with being boxing’s GWOAT. Tonight was yet another reminder that we are witnessing something truly special. I hope the fans saved their tickets tonight.”
Undefeated middleweight contender Troy Isley won a close but convincing 10-round unanimous decision over longtime amateur rival Joe Hicks, scored 97-92, 96-93 twice.
Isley (17-0, 6 KOs) pressed the action, forcing Hicks to fight off his back foot for most of the fight. Isley far outpaced his amateur rival in power shows, throwing 178 compared to just 113 for Hicks according to CompuBox. Hicks started strong and landed the biggest punch of the bout in the second round, but he failed to capitalize and never showed much urgency in the ring. Isley was deducted a point for a kidney shot in the fifth yet still won comfortably on all three scorecards.
Undefeated super bantamweight Ashleyann Lozada (5-0, 1 KOs) won a near-shutout 10-round unanimous decision over Paulette Cuesta (19-6-1, 4 KOs), scored 100-90, 100-90, 99-91, in a bout for the WBA Gold Women’s Super Bantamweight belt. Lozada is now positioned to challenge No. 3 ranked Phannerai Netisri in a WBA world title eliminator.
In the opening bout on DAZN, undefeated challenger Bernice Ferreira (11-0, 4 KOs) dethroned WBC Super Featherweight Champion Caroline Veyre after the champion was disqualified for holding in the eighth round (1:04). Veyre (11-2) was deducted points for holding in the fourth and the seventh. At time of the stoppage, Veyre was up on two of the three judges’ scorecards, 66-65, 67-64, 67-64.
In Zeus Network undercard professional boxing fights, undefeated light heavyweight contender Atif Oberlton (17-0, 14 KOs) won a shutout unanimous decision over Roamer Alexis Angulo (29-5, 24 KOs), scored 100-90 three times.
Super Middleweight prospect Da’Vella Smith (15-0, 10 KOs) kept his undefeated record intact with a 6th round TKO (1:44) of local favorite Hakim Lopez. Smith was up on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the fight, 50-45, 49-46, 49-46.
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Undefeated featherweight contender Shannel Butler extended her unblemished record to 8-0 (3 KOs) with a convincing unanimous decision victory over Marianela Ramirez (14-12-2), scored 79-73, 79-72, 78-74.
In a matchup of previously unbeaten super welterweights, Jacquan McElroy (6-0, 2 KOs) won a close unanimous decision over Alexander Thiel (5-1, 2 KOs), scored 58-56 on all three of the judges’ scorecards.
In the opening bout on Zeus Network, Daniel Mercado, brother of undefeated 140-pound star Tito Mercado, knocked Rahmel McKinley (1-5) down twice in the first round, winning via KO at 1:48 of the first.
In celebrity influencer bouts on Zeus Network, Noah won via second round knockout (1:15) over Xavier Pabon in a matchup of Zeus executive security guards.
In the Zeus influencer co-main event, Ray J won by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 30-26) over rival Orlando Brown in a matchup of TV personalities.
In the Zeus Network main event, Big Lex defeated Tesehki in an amateur boxing showdown between the two TV personalities.
Saturday’s event was presented by Salita Promotions in partnership with Wynn Records, Claressa Shields Promotions and Route 30 Promotions, presenting sponsor Zeus Network and sponsor OnlyFans.