Key Takeaways
- Claressa Shields dropped three weight classes, cutting 38 pounds to return to middleweight in Atlanta, where she stopped Kaye Scott in the sixth round to reclaim the WBC and WBA titles and push her record to 19-0.
- After feeling out a stronger-than-expected Scott and battering her with heavy shots that left a welt, Shields scored a knockdown with a left hook before Scott’s corner threw in the towel at 1:38 of Round 6.
- Headlining boxing at State Farm Arena as the first woman to do so, Shields framed the win—her 20th and 21st world titles—as part of making women’s boxing culturally respected while remaining the only woman ever undisputed in three weight divisions.
Claressa Shields said she was coming to Atlanta to make history. She did exactly that—and needed just six rounds to get it done.
According to ESPN, Shields stopped Kaye Scott in the sixth round Saturday night at State Farm Arena, reclaiming the WBC and WBA middleweight championships and securing the 20th and 21st world titles of her career. The victory improved Claressa Shields’ professional record to 19-0 with four knockouts while extending her championship résumé into yet another chapter.
Getting there required a dramatic change before Shields even entered the ring. The undisputed heavyweight champion dropped three weight classes for the bout, returning to middleweight for the first time since 2023. She revealed afterward that she had come down from 198 pounds to make the 160-pound limit.
“This was a really hard camp,” Shields said after the fight. “I cut 38 pounds. I was at 198 pounds and got down to 160. This is the most disciplined I've been since the Olympics, I feel like.”
Scott, who entered the fight as champion, didn’t make the assignment easy. She stood and traded with Shields early, but Shields gradually took control with the cleaner, heavier shots. By the second round, Scott had developed a large welt on her forehead.
The finish arrived in Round 6. Shields connected with a hard left hook that sent Scott stumbling into the ropes and forced a count. Shields immediately pressed forward against her visibly hurt opponent until Scott’s corner threw in the towel. The fight was officially stopped at 1:38 of the round.
“I was actually just trying to figure her out,” Shields said. “She was stronger than what I thought.”
Shields added that the massive weight cut factored into her approach. “I didn't want to exert too much early,” she explained, saying she wanted to make sure she could handle Scott’s strength without getting caught while adjusting to competing at the lighter weight.
The win delivered on something Shields had been talking about before she ever arrived in Atlanta.
She was also well aware of the venue’s significance. Before the fight, Shields told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of ScoopB.com that becoming the first woman to headline boxing at State Farm Arena meant something beyond championships.
“I’m making women’s boxing culturally respected to where I can come to Atlanta and fight as the main event and sell out 18,000+ people,” Shields told Robinson. “Besides the belts, that means a lot to me.”
Now she has the belts, too.
Shields remains the undisputed heavyweight champion and has previously been undisputed at middleweight and junior middleweight, making her the only woman to become undisputed across three weight divisions.
