FLINT, Mich. -- After becoming the undisputed middleweight champion of the world Claressa Shields will move down to the junior middleweight division to take on Ivana Habazin. The two will be vying for a vacant WBO title in the main event of a Showtime card on Oct. 5. It will also be a homecoming fight for Shields who grew up in Flint, Mich. and has been outspoken about the water crisis there. Meanwhile, Habazin will be traveling from her native Croatia in an attempt to hand Shields her first loss.
Shields (9-0, 2 KOs) is known for her aggression in the ring. While her knockout numbers aren't very impressive that's partly due to the fact that women fight two minute rounds instead of three. The undisputed middleweight champ does have good power though and even her jab lands with a thud. Along with that jab Shields also has a dangerous right hand and a mean left hook. Shields likes to push the action and when he gets inside she loves to pound the body. In past fights Shields has had a habit of getting too aggressive and getting wild with her punches while forgetting about defense. However, in her last fight Shields was masterful. She dominated Christina Hammer and looked incredibly sharp both offensively and defensively.
Many pundits viewed Shields' fight with Hammer as a true 50-50 fight. It was supposed to be a battle between Shields, the aggressive puncher, and Hammer, the skilled tactician. Instead fans got a brilliant performance from Shields who landed power punches but also controlled the action with her jab and straight right hand while consistently making Hammer miss. If Shields continues to fight the way she did against Hammer she won't be easy to beat anytime soon. Along with Hammer, Shields has also beaten the likes of Hanna Gabriels, Tori Nelson, and Femke Hermans. Shields has already won titles in the super middleweight and middleweight divisions and will now look to win a title in her third division by beating Habazin.
Habazin (20-3, 7 KOs) is also an aggressive fighter who likes to mix things up on the inside. The Croatian has been fighting professionally for nearly a decade and likes to let her power punches fly. Habazin doesn't have much of a jab but she does have a strong left hook and a right hand that she puts bad intentions behind. However, her punches tend to come in wide and she also has a tendency to smother her own offense. Habazin doesn't do much when she's on the outside and tends to smother herself when she gets inside, although she will still land some overhand right hands. She's at her best when she's in the middle distance but she doesn't stay there long because she always seems to fall in, throw a punch or two, and then lock up in the clinch. Because of her aggressiveness she tends to leave herself open for return fire and if Shields looks as sharp as she did against Hammer she could pick Habazin apart.
Like Shields, Habazin will be looking to win a world title in her third division. That's if you count the IBO as a legitimate title. In 2014 Habazin won a vacant IBF title in the welterweight division but lost her first defense to Cecilia Braekhus. She then got a shot at the WBC welterweight title in 2016 but lost that fight via third round stoppage to Mikaela Lauren. Shortly after that loss Habazin moved up in weight and in 2018 she picked up an IBO middleweight title. She will now move down in weight and try to pick up a junior middleweight strap.
This fight could be very exciting but it could also end up being very one-sided. If Shields goes back to her ultra aggressive ways and starts getting wild with her punches and leaving herself open to return fire Habazin could find some success. Habazin's best chance at victory is to make this a firefight because she simply doesn't have the skills to out box Shields. Shields seems to have matured in the ring though and pulling her in to a brawl doesn't seem as easy as it once was. If Shields boxes like she did against Hammer she should be able to control the distance and pick Habazin apart while easily making her miss.
PREDICTION: Claressa Shields really showed a new wrinkle to her game against Christina Hammer and in that fight looked like arguably the best fighter in women's boxing. Ivana Habazin will come to win and she'll give a good effort but none of that will be enough against a talent like Shields. Shields will control the action from the outside and start really landing power punches late on her way to stopping Habazin in the eighth round.
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| Shields, showing off her belts after becoming undisputed |
Many pundits viewed Shields' fight with Hammer as a true 50-50 fight. It was supposed to be a battle between Shields, the aggressive puncher, and Hammer, the skilled tactician. Instead fans got a brilliant performance from Shields who landed power punches but also controlled the action with her jab and straight right hand while consistently making Hammer miss. If Shields continues to fight the way she did against Hammer she won't be easy to beat anytime soon. Along with Hammer, Shields has also beaten the likes of Hanna Gabriels, Tori Nelson, and Femke Hermans. Shields has already won titles in the super middleweight and middleweight divisions and will now look to win a title in her third division by beating Habazin.
Habazin (20-3, 7 KOs) is also an aggressive fighter who likes to mix things up on the inside. The Croatian has been fighting professionally for nearly a decade and likes to let her power punches fly. Habazin doesn't have much of a jab but she does have a strong left hook and a right hand that she puts bad intentions behind. However, her punches tend to come in wide and she also has a tendency to smother her own offense. Habazin doesn't do much when she's on the outside and tends to smother herself when she gets inside, although she will still land some overhand right hands. She's at her best when she's in the middle distance but she doesn't stay there long because she always seems to fall in, throw a punch or two, and then lock up in the clinch. Because of her aggressiveness she tends to leave herself open for return fire and if Shields looks as sharp as she did against Hammer she could pick Habazin apart.
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| Habazin, on the attack |
This fight could be very exciting but it could also end up being very one-sided. If Shields goes back to her ultra aggressive ways and starts getting wild with her punches and leaving herself open to return fire Habazin could find some success. Habazin's best chance at victory is to make this a firefight because she simply doesn't have the skills to out box Shields. Shields seems to have matured in the ring though and pulling her in to a brawl doesn't seem as easy as it once was. If Shields boxes like she did against Hammer she should be able to control the distance and pick Habazin apart while easily making her miss.
PREDICTION: Claressa Shields really showed a new wrinkle to her game against Christina Hammer and in that fight looked like arguably the best fighter in women's boxing. Ivana Habazin will come to win and she'll give a good effort but none of that will be enough against a talent like Shields. Shields will control the action from the outside and start really landing power punches late on her way to stopping Habazin in the eighth round.
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