Claressa Shields never expected to become heavywei...

Claressa Shields has secured her place in boxing historical past.

A decade in the past she grew to become the primary American boxer to win consecutive Olympic gold medals.

As an expert she grew to become an undisputed world champion at super-welter and middleweight (twice).

Final 12 months Shields established herself as the last word trailblazer when she grew to become the primary undisputed heavyweight champion in girls’s boxing.

In that regard she has even shocked herself. “Heavyweight was by no means in my plans,” Shields advised Sky Sports activities.

“Being at that weight class, I simply should maintain exhibiting my ability, maintain exhibiting my pace, maintain exhibiting my energy.

“I really feel prefer it’s my job to point out that every one the burden lessons of ladies’s boxing are entertaining. That all of us received abilities, from heavyweight to flyweight, strawweight, all of us received fingers, all of us can struggle, all of us have ability.”

Her standing because the undisputed heavyweight champion is a press release in itself.

“Including undisputed heavyweight world champion to Claressa Shields’ title has positively broadened my model. I can say I am an American heavyweight champion and once you consider American heavyweight champion you consider Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield amongst these greats. Simply to have my title added to that on the ladies’s facet it is nonetheless simply actually massive and actually nice,” she stated.

“And to be the primary heavyweight undisputed girls’s champion in boxing historical past. I believe that I used to be already Black historical past sufficient. Now I am simply historical past throughout, with that. I am with the likes of Jack Johnson now, who was the primary Black heavyweight champion

“So I am the primary Black girls’s heavyweight champion in boxing. I actually embrace that and I wish to maintain defending my titles and I am simply sporting it robust, you know the way I ought to.”

Shields beat her nice rival from the amateurs, Savannah Marshall in an undisputed middleweight title struggle. At heavyweight she handed first defeats to the beforehand unbeaten Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse, Danielle Perkins and Lani Daniels.

On Sunday in Detroit she’ll rematch Franchon Crews-Dezurn, whom Shields beat after they have been each making their skilled debuts in 2016.

“She’s prime at her weight class, at 168lbs. She beat the heavy hitter Shadasia Inexperienced, who all people stated is the queen of that division,” Shields stated.

“I do know she’s going to come back, she’s going to carry it, she’s extra aware of me than anyone else.

“She’s a prime contender and she or he continues to get higher and she or he all the time desires to win. You realize that once you struggle in opposition to Franchon, you are going to get bumps, you are going to get bruises. It’s possible you’ll get thrown on the bottom. Franchon is a tough and rugged fighter and she or he’s very skilled.

“She’s nonetheless a prime contender.”

However Shields added: “I am the cream of the crop. I have not had any shut fights so I am unable to say how this struggle might be.

“If I’m too good for personal good, I am solely going to get higher. So there’s nothing I can do about that. I like successful unanimously. I like knocking ladies out. I like dominating. I believe it seems to be nice on my resume. I do not like having shut fights.”

Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper dwell on Sky Sports activities on Sunday April 5. Tickets available here