By Jake Donovan
For those who were looking forward to Claressa Shields’ latest march towards HERstory, news of an injury postponing her next fight was undoubtedly a letdown.
That wasn’t quite the reaction from her scheduled opponent, Ivana Habazin who used the opportunity to take a free swing at her wounded rival.
Shields (9-0, 2KOs) was due to face Croatia’s Habazin in a vacant super welterweight title fight August 17 in her hometown of Flint, Mich. The event is now postponed by at least six weeks after Shields suffered a dislocated knee during training camp.
Her future in-ring rival isn’t buying it.
“Claressa, we were very sorry to hear about your fatness… oh, oh, oh my God, I mean your injury,” Habazin (20-3, 7KOs) quipped in a video posted through her social media account, eating a piece of cake while mocking Shields. “You got injured (*wink*), yes?”
The fat joke was a parting shot at Shields’ alleged issues with making weight. It was raised in the buildup to her eventual undisputed middleweight championship win over Christina Hammer in April, weighing above the prescribed maximum limits at the 30-, 14- and 7-day safety weight checks but had no problem with making the 160-pound middleweight limit at the official weigh-in.
Still, it was a point of interest to see how the unbeaten 5’10” American—a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and two-division world champ in the pro ranks—would shrink down to the 154-pound limit, where Habazin has comfortably fought at or below for nearly all of her nine-year career.
With at least six more weeks to train for her U.S. debut, Habazin has decided to treat herself to a little bit of junk food and quite a mouthful of trash talk.
“So in the meantime, while we eat, please try to lose your fatness,” urged Habazin, a former welterweight and middleweight titlist. “We wish you a quick recovery.”
Shields did her best to take the verbal punch in stride but not before offering one of her own–and a warning of what’s to come as their eventually rescheduled rematch draws nearer, which hosting network Showtime is targeting for early fall.
“I’m not gonna pay this weird ass girl any mind,” insists Shields. “I have no reason to fake an injury. I dislocated my knee and can’t train for 6 weeks. Little do she know If it was up to me I’d still fight her with my knee messed up and beat her ass.
“Oh and Ivana Habazin, I’m slapping the hell out of you at the weigh-in and then I’m kicking your ass the next day.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox