Sunday 20 November 2016 02:47, UK
Claressa Shields made a spectacular start to her professional career with an explosive win over fellow debutante, Franchon Crews.
The double Olympic champion won a unanimous decision over four fierce rounds in which both women were constantly on the attack as the T-Moble Arena in Las Vegas, began to fill up.
Shields, who won middleweight golds at London 2012 and in Rio this summer, and former American Idol contestant Crews, were in at super-middleweight.
The pair were both looking to hit the healdines before Sergey Kovalev and Andre Wade took centre stage and from the very first punch, the four two-minute rounds were non-stop.
Shields came charging out of her corner and landed a lovely right but an immediate response saw her old rival Crews, known as the 'Hard Hitting Diva' pin her on the ropes and land seven overhand rights that all found their target.
With Barry Hunter, who guided Lamont Peterson to world titles at two-weights, in her corner, Shields returned the compliment in the second, with her left hook countering Crews well.
She was shoved to the floor in the third, but again she gave more than she got, a perfect straight right catching her opponent on the way in.
Crews pushed Shields over again in the fourth but rather than complain, the golden girl of women's boxing in America hit back as both went to the final bell at full force.
Shields was given the unanimous decision although Crews deserved more for her part in a cracking double debut a week before Ireland's Katie Taylor makes her professional debut, live on Sky Sports.
