No matter what comes of 2020, Claressa Shields certainly doesn’t want a repeat of the year that was.

The two-time Olympic Gold medalist and three-division title claimant from Flint, Michigan started off 2019 right with her 10-round thrashing of Christina Hammer to become undisputed World middleweight champion. The rest of the year was one to forget, although her twice-postponed clash with Ivana Habazin helped launch a 2020 campaign that she believes will be her biggest yet.

“I want to fight three or four times this year,” Shields (10-0, 2KOs) told BoxingScene.com. “I want to keep fighting the best. I don’t even know what to say about that, other than I just want to keep fighting the best fighters out there.” 

BoxingScene Today : Pacquiao vs Barrios

BoxingScene Today : Pacquiao vs Barrios

Manny Pacquiao, on the heels of losing his Senate seat in the Philippines, has entered the WBC welterweight rankings at No. 5, is due in L.A. for a May 20 news conference, where his July 19 return following his June Hall of Fame induction will occur versus WBC champion Mario Barrios Jr.

Wednesday | May 14, 2025 | 00:22:57

The fight with Croatia’s Habazin (20-4, 7KOs) helped clear up old business, with Shields scoring a one-sided decision win to become a three-division title claimant in picking up a pair of junior middleweight belts. The two were due to collide last summer, only for Shields to have to withdraw due to injury. The rescheduled bout last October ended at the pre-fight weigh-in—and without Habazin ever getting to hit the scale after her trainer, James Ali Bashir was attacked prior to the start of the session.

Their collision in January went off without a hitch, ending a nine-month inactive stretch which is the longest of her already “HER”storic career. Next up for the unbeaten pound-for-pound queen, will be a continued pursuit of major fights to add to her GWOAT (Greatest Woman Of All Time) legacy. 

“I just want to be the one who keeps fighting the best fighters, who got the best following and use it to build women’s boxing,” notes Shields. “I want to keep using the Showtime platform while I have it and really uplift women’s boxing heading into 2021.

“But 2020, I believe is going to be a really great year. We already started off with a win and another world championship, so I just want to stay busy, not get injured and just continue to grow as a fighter.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox