Claressa Shields will fight Ema Kozin on Saturday live on Sky Sports. She said: "If boxing doesn't work, I'll bang. If I have to mix it up? If I've got to be like Muhammad Ali or like Mike Tyson? I know how to switch it up."
Wednesday 2 February 2022 06:20, UK
Claressa Shields says that men “get dropped” by her in sparring and she rarely spars with women because “I mess them up”.
The feted American will make her UK debut on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, in a defence of her IBF, WBA and WBC middleweight championships against Ema Kozin.
She said: "I am a big, strong woman and I spar against men daily. I grew up in the gym sparring men.
"People might say: 'She is a girl'.
"I don't know what goes down in the UK, if the girls only spar the girls, but I barely spar against women because I mess them up.
"When I spar against guys? If they blink, they will be waking up. They will get dropped with a body shot. They will get hurt.
"When I spar men we spar three minutes. The guys stand there and want to fight me.
"Girls hold me, cover up, try to survive, they don't come to win. They want to say: 'I lasted 10 rounds with the GWOAT'.
"It is hard to knock out somebody who just tries to survive. It's easier to catch someone slipping who comes in aggressively."
Shields has won gold medals at consecutive Olympics, world championships in three weight divisions, and is a two-time undisputed champion.
Victory on Saturday would edge her a step closer to facing WBO champion Savannah Marshall in a fight for every major middleweight belt which would also settle a personal feud.
Marshall beat Shields in an amateur bout a decade ago - it is the only time Shields has lost inside the ring.
They have feuded on social media in the past week - Marshall taunted Shields saying: "Your next opponent has declined a fight with me three times yet accepted a fight with you. Wonder why? Pillow fists!"
Shields told Sky Sports: "They say I've got pillow fists. But Once I catch these girls with one right hand? They don't keep on walking up on me - not because I look mean. It's because I hit hard.
"I have zero doubt that I cannot lose a boxing match.
"I have 110 different gameplans to make sure that I come out on top in every fight.
"If boxing doesn't work, I'll bang. If I have to mix it up? If I've got to be like Muhammad Ali or like Mike Tyson? I know how to switch it up."
Her challenger Kozin is undefeated in 23 and has the potential to spoil the plan to pair Shields with Marshall.
"I consider everybody a threat," Shields said about Kozin. "I see her strengths and weaknesses.
"She has 10 knockouts so she believes she is a KO artist. She will want to throw a barrage of punches.
"I don't back down from anybody.
"When these girls get hit by me, their mind-set changes. We'll see what she does after she gets hit."
Saturday February 5 in Cardiff
Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Williams
Claressa Shields vs Ema Kozin - IBF, WBA and WBC middleweight titles
Saturday February 19 in Manchester
Amir Khan vs Kell Brook
Natasha Jonas vs Ewa Piatkowska - WBO super-welterweight title
Frazer Clarke's pro debut
Saturday February 26 in Glasgow
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall - undisputed super-lightweight titles
Nick Campbell vs Jay McFarlane - Scottish heavyweight title
Saturday March 5 in Fresno
Jose Ramirez vs Jose Pedraza
Sunday March 20 in New York
Edgar Berlanga vs Steve Rolls
Keyshawn Davis
Xander Zayas
