MULVANE, Kan. -- The fight was supposed to be a middleweight unification fight for undisputed status between champions Claressa Shields (6-0, 2 KOs) and Christina Hammer. Unfortunately Hammer had to pull out of the fight due to an undisclosed illness. Now Shields will take on Hannah Rankin (5-2, 1 KOs) on Nov. 17, streaming live on DAZN. On the line will be Shields' IBF and WBA titles, as well as a vacant WBC strap previously held by Hammer, who still holds the WBO title.
Shields fights out of the orthodox stance and has a very aggressive style. While she has the ability to box with opponents she usually focuses on landing power punches. She has a power jab but at times will get caught up in going for the knockout and not throw that punch enough. Her left hook is a good weapon as is her big right hand, however, at times she can get too aggressive and those punches start to come in wide. Those wide punches allow opponents to counter her and while she has shown a good chin, she did get dropped in the first round of her most recent fight. Shields also has a real mean streak that makes her a very television-friendly fighter.
By now boxing fans should know that Shields is the most decorated U.S. Olympic boxer of all-time. She is the only American, male or female, to win two Olympic gold medals, doing so in 2012 and 2016 games. As a pro Shields has been perfect and has captured titles as a middleweight and super middleweight. She already has some good names on her resume, Hanna Gabriels being one, and she has handed Nikki Adler and Tori Nelson their first career losses. It is clear that Shields still wants that unification fight against Hammer but she will have to take care of business against Rankin first.
There is very little video of Rankin online. None of her full fights are on YouTube and there are only a few short clips of her training. What we do know is that Rankin fights out of the orthodox stance and she has good size. In fact she's just as tall as Shields so at least as far as size is concerned she matches up well with the champion. Rankin does have an accurate right hand but she has little to no power. However, she has shown a good chin throughout her career and has never been dropped.
As a pro Rankin has not faced very good opposition. Her seven career opponents have a combined record of 28-74-7 and her only notable fight was a wide loss to Alicia Napoleon. Boxing isn't Rankin's only job though. She is also a classically trained musician who plays the bassoon. Along with playing professionally she also teaches others to play, making her an interesting mix of physical fighter and cerebral musician.
This will be a huge step up fight for Rankin. She has tested the top waters when she took on Napoleon but that fight did not go well for her at all. She will really need to stay busy with her jab and make sure to really sit down on her right hand. Her best chance to score the upset is to keep Shields on the outside and sharp shoot. If Shields is her typically aggressive self and is able to get inside she should be able to do plenty of damage against Rankin.
PREDICTION: It is probably a good thing that Hannah Rankin has another career as a musician because she is not good enough to beat a fighter like Claressa Shields. Shields is going to be as aggressive as ever and will dominate this fight from start to finish. That finish will come before the final bell when Shields stops Rankin in the seventh round.
 |
| Shields catching Hanna Gabriels with a hard right hand |
By now boxing fans should know that Shields is the most decorated U.S. Olympic boxer of all-time. She is the only American, male or female, to win two Olympic gold medals, doing so in 2012 and 2016 games. As a pro Shields has been perfect and has captured titles as a middleweight and super middleweight. She already has some good names on her resume, Hanna Gabriels being one, and she has handed Nikki Adler and Tori Nelson their first career losses. It is clear that Shields still wants that unification fight against Hammer but she will have to take care of business against Rankin first.
There is very little video of Rankin online. None of her full fights are on YouTube and there are only a few short clips of her training. What we do know is that Rankin fights out of the orthodox stance and she has good size. In fact she's just as tall as Shields so at least as far as size is concerned she matches up well with the champion. Rankin does have an accurate right hand but she has little to no power. However, she has shown a good chin throughout her career and has never been dropped.
 |
| Rankin celebrating a victory |
This will be a huge step up fight for Rankin. She has tested the top waters when she took on Napoleon but that fight did not go well for her at all. She will really need to stay busy with her jab and make sure to really sit down on her right hand. Her best chance to score the upset is to keep Shields on the outside and sharp shoot. If Shields is her typically aggressive self and is able to get inside she should be able to do plenty of damage against Rankin.
PREDICTION: It is probably a good thing that Hannah Rankin has another career as a musician because she is not good enough to beat a fighter like Claressa Shields. Shields is going to be as aggressive as ever and will dominate this fight from start to finish. That finish will come before the final bell when Shields stops Rankin in the seventh round.
Comments
Post a Comment