Claressa Shields says she’d beat Thurman & give GGG problems

By Chris Williams

Boxingnews24.com

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and current IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO female middleweight champion Claressa Shields (9-0, 2 KOs) says she’d beat WBA Super World welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman and WBC 147 lb champion Shawn Porter, and give former middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin a lot of problems.

The highly talented Shields, 24, is coming off of a one-sided 10 round unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten WBC/WBO World Female middleweight champion Christina Hammer (24-1, 11 KOs) last Saturday night on April 13 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Shields took Hammer, 28, to school in beating her by the scores 98-91, 98-92 and 98-91. Boxing News 24 had Shields winning by the score 98-91.

“I spar with men,” Shields said to TMZ. “And, I mean, I drop men. I bust men nose, I beat men up all the time. If I was to say which is the guy, I think I could beat — I think I could beat up Keith Thurman. I really do. I think I could beat up Keith Thurman, even though they’re like ‘oh, he beat Shawn Porter.’ I think I can beat Shawn Porter too, you know, skill-wise and just strength-wise. I think they may be stronger than me but their boxing ability isn’t like mine,” Shields said.

Shields may be right. She’s got the talent to give Thurman and Porter something to think about if they chose to mix it with her. Shields is so far ahead of the other female boxers right now, that it’s almost unfair. The way she handled Hammer last Saturday night was a think of beauty. She dominated Hammer in every sense of the word. Before that fight, Hammer had glided through her first 24 fights effortlessly, looking like she would never lose. Shields was so much better than her.

Shields wants to take on the talented champion Cecilia Braekhus next.

“GGG, he’s older now, but I could give GGG a run for his money,” Shields said. “If I was to get in with a man I would do a lot more of that, and I do have some power. I do have some power. I’m not gonna say I’m stronger than them but if I set up the right shot, with the right timing.”

For the sake of argument, Shields would be a problem for Thurman and Porter. Her skills would be a nightmare for either of them.

It’s too bad we’ll never find out how Shields would do against Golovkin, Thurman and Porter. Fights between those guys and a female boxer is NEVER going to happen. In tennis, we saw Billy Jean King beat former tennis champion Bobby Riggs in the 1970s, but that was in a non-contact sport. Boxing is different, and that kind of thing just won’t likely ever happen between professional fighters from different sexes.