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Shields to Rematch Gabriels in Detroit

The last time Claressa Shields faced Hanna Gabriels in the ring, she found herself on the canvas inside the first 90 seconds, a Gabriels uppercut/left hook combination dropping her to the seat of her pants for the first and only knockdown of her career, amateur or professional. Shields went on to win that June 2018 encounter by unanimous decision to run her record to 6-0; now 13-0 with 2 KOs, and with undisputed championships at both 154 and 160 pounds to her credit, Shields will face Gabriels again on June 3 in her native Michigan.

The fight will be the first at Detroit’s Little Ceasar’s Arena, which opened in September 2017 and is the home of the NHL’s Red Wings and the NBA’s Pistons. It will be a defense of the undisputed middleweight championship, which Shields – the self-described Greatest Woman Boxer of All Time (GWOAT) – re-unified with victory over Britain's Savannah Marshall in October. The undercard is slated to feature a number of up-and-coming Detroit fighters.

Shields turned professional in November 2016 after a stellar amateur career that saw her go 65-1 – the only loss coming to Marshall – and win gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Gabriels has won three in a row since her loss to Shields, bringing her pro record to 21-2-1 (12 KOs). Her most recent outing, in April 2021, saw her scale 177 ¼ pounds as she took both the WBA light-heavyweight and WBC heavyweight belts via a second-round TKO of Martha Lara Gaytan.