Claressa Shields knocks out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in round two

By Jack Walsh

CLARESSA Shields walked over Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse last night in just two short rounds, winning the vacant WBO light-heavyweight title, and stripping Lepage-Joanisse of her WBC heavyweight strap.

The two headlined a 10-fight card at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Shields, 29, showcased her unforeseen frightening power at heavyweight, seeming relatively unfazed with the drastic jump in divisions, despite the potential ring discomfort of scaling in at her heftiest yet: 174.8lbs/79.23kg.

In the first round, Lepage-Joanisse attempted to work her way inside and apply pressure, although got caught with a vicious flurry that trapped her in the corner until the bell rang. 

Shields showed patience in those opening two minutes, and it’s possible that the first left hook she landed may have stunned Lepage-Joanisse to set up the soon-to-be knockout. 

The second and last round was where the American Shields displayed absolute dominance, truly living up to her nickname of the GWOAT (Greatest Woman Of All Time). Avoiding Lepage-Joanisse’s punches with ease, Shields beautifully ducked and rolled each attempt, landing a fierce left hook at the end of a smooth combo that sent her Canadian opponent to the canvas. 

While Lepage-Joanisse beat the count, she was once again put down by a straight right at the end of another ferocious combination. Ultimately, Shields’ power proved too much. 

A massive right hook was the final straw for Lepage-Joanisse, as she went down hard, and the referee waived her out of the fight after her third time facing the ten-count. 

With an absolute flooring victory, Shields has now become a champion in five separate weight divisions with her new light-heavyweight and heavyweight gold.

She is one of just four boxers in the history of the sport — in addition to Naoya Inoue, Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk — to hold all four major world titles in two weight divisions. 

She is a current undisputed middleweight champion, a former undisputed junior middleweight champion and a former unified super-middleweight champion. 

There remains a legitimate possibility that Shields will look to become undisputed yet again in her third division, but she has just 10 days to decide whether to remain a heavyweight or go back down to defend her middleweight crown. Shields improved to 15-0 (3 KOs), while Lepage-Joanisse dropped to 7-2 (2 KOs).