In a dominating and emphatic performance, hometown favorite Claressa Shields captured the WBC and IBF Super Middleweight World Championships in just her fourth professional fight Friday night on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME at MGM Grand Detroit.
The 22-year-old Shields (4-0, 2 KOs) of Flint, Mich. annihilated the previously undefeated Nikki Adler (16-1, 9 KOs) of Germany dominating the fight from start to finish as referee Michael Griffin waved the fight off at 1:34 of Round 5.
WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Nikki Adler and hometown favorite, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields officially made weight on Thursday, one day before they headline a doubleheader tomorrow/Friday, Aug. 4 on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME® (10:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from MGM Grand Detroit.
Shields (3-0, 1 KO) tipped the scales at 165 ¼ pounds with the champion Adler (16-0, 9 KOs) of Germany coming in at 166 pounds even. In the ShoBox co-feature, world-ranked super bantamweight Vladimir Tikhonov (15-0, 9 KOs) of Russia will face Jesse Hernandez (8-1, 6 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas, in an eight-round bout. Both fighters weighed in at 123 ¼ pounds.
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The four fighters participating in “Battle of the Best”, the ShoBox: The New Generation headlined by WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Nikki Adler and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields, participated in a final press conference on Wednesday in advance of Friday’s doubleheader telecast from MGM Grand Detroit.
Shields (3-0, 1 KO) will challenge Adler (16-0, 9 KOs) of Germany in just her fourth pro fight since winning Gold at the 2016 Olympics on Friday, August 4, at MGM Grand in Detroit, Mich. live on SHOWTIME (10:30 p.m. ET/PT).
Three-division world champion Mikey Garcia kept his undefeated record intact with a dominant 12-round performance against four-division world champion Adrien Broner in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, Saturday on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING®.
(Photo credit: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME)
Undefeated Jermall Charlo (26-0, 20 KOs) made his debut at 160-pounds with a stoppage of Argentine contender Jorge Sebastian Heiland (29-5-2, 16 KOs) in the co-featured event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. The stoppage came at 2:13 of the fourth round after Charlo delivered a devastating left hook followed by a big right to end the fight.
Charlo, of Houston, Texas, dominated the pace from the beginning. He landed the sharper and more accurate punches throughout the fight, especially in the first round where he landed 50 percent of his power shots to Heiland’s 13 percent. Charlo’s straight right was his power weapon throughout the contest.
Irish sensation Katie Taylor (6-0, 4 KOs) stopped Jasmine Clarkson (4-9) after three rounds of action in the latter fighter’s U.S. debut.
The Olympic Gold medalist was dominant from the outset, stalking her opponent around the ring and consistently trapping her in the corner. Taylor was effective with both hands and did most of her work to the head of Clarkson. After three rounds of damage, Clarkson’s corner stopped the bout and gave Taylor her first stateside win as a pro.
Headlining the “SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Prelims” on Facebook Live, heavyweight Jarrell Miller (19-0-1, 17 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., stopped former world title challenger Gerald Washington (18-2-1, 12 KOs) after eight-rounds.
Miller used his significant size advantage and effective power-punching to break down the former collegiate football player. Washington had some success early with his jab and body attack, but was not able to stay out of punching range of Miller
Weigh-In Results
WBC Super Lightweight Special Attraction – 12 Rounds
Adrien Broner – 138 ¾ Pounds
Mikey Garcia – 139 ½ Pounds
Referee: Harvey Dock; Judges: Don Ackerman (N.Y.), Eric Marlinski (N.Y.), Steve Weisfeld (N.J.)
WBC Middleweight Eliminator – 12 Rounds
Jermall Charlo – 159 ¼ Pounds
Jorge Sebastian Heiland – 158 ¼ Pounds
Referee: Benjy Esteves; Judges: Julie Lederman (N.Y.), Carlos Ortiz (N.Y.), Tom Schreck (N.Y.)
Four-division world champion Adrien Broner and three-division world champion Mikey Garcia went face-to-face Thursday at the final press conference two days before they headline a Premier Boxing Champions event Saturday, July 29 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING®.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with unbeaten former world champion Jermall Charlo meeting top contender Jorge Sebastian Heiland in a middleweight world title eliminator.