Boxing
Claressa Shields destroys Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse to become WBC heavyweight world champion
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If there were any questions about how Claressa Shields would fare at heavyweight Saturday night, she crushed them just as she did Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.
The “GWOAT” (Greatest Woman of All Time) dropped Lepage-Joanisse three times in the second round toward a sensational second-round TKO to become the new WBC heavyweight world champion at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, and live on DAZN. Shields (15-0, 3 knockouts) also picked up the vacant WBO light heavyweight title in the process.
With the victory, Shields adds the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles to her previously won undisputed crowns at middleweight and junior middleweight, and unified titles at super middleweight, now making her a five-division world champion.
After establishing the jab to start piecing together combinations in the first round, Shields produced a ferocious second round. The fireworks started when Lepage-Joanisse made the costly error of rushing Shields against the ropes. Shields responded by ducking and dodging everything Lepage-Joanisse threw at her only to catch the Canadian with a right hand to the temple for the first knockdown.
Lepage-Joanisse would slowly get up off the canvas only for Shields to rush her this time and absolutely sit on an overhand right across the jaw to leave the Canadian in a heap for the second knockdown.
That vicious knockdown prompted Lepage-Joanisse's trainer to get up on the ring apron in preparation to throw in the towel but Shields saved him the trouble by knocking her down for the third time, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Following the win, Shields was in awe of her own performance, telling DAZN: "I shocked myself" and "I put her down three times, so hey, the GWOAT stays."
She added that "maybe I can stay at heavyweight if I'm going to be this strong inside the ring."
Here's how the entire main card went.
