Detroit, Michigan - WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO middleweight champion Claressa Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) dominated late replacement and mandatory challenger Maricela Cornejo (16-6, 6 KOs) over ten rounds for a wide unanimous decision win. (photos by Stephanie Trapp)
The three official scores were 100-89, 100-90 and 100-90.
Cornejo took the fight on nine days' notice after original opponent Hanna Gabriels tested positive for a banned substance.
Shields was too fast and too accurate for Cornejo, who was being overwhelmed in the first two rounds. Shields was landing big punches on a regular basis and pushing Cornejo back.
Not much of a change in rounds three and four, with Shields in full control and landing big punches often. The right hand of Shields was snapping back the heads of Cornejo. It was one-way traffic in rounds five and six, with Shields landing all of the big Shields and not much coming from Cornejo.
Shields was going for a knockout in the seventh, as she was battering Cornejo with punches. In the eight she easily outboxed Cornejo. More of the same one-way action in the ninth.
