Photo: Sumio Yamada

Two-time United States Olympic Gold Medalist and WBC/IBF/WBA Women’s Middleweight World Champion Claressa Shields, (7-0, 2 KOs), of Flint MI will face WBO Women’s Super-Middleweight World Champion Femke Hermans, (9-1, 3 KOs), of Londerzeel, Belgium in a just announced ten-round middleweight world title clash at UNDISPUTED, set for Saturday, December 8 at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA and televised live as the opening bout of the now triple-header on HBO.

This past Saturday night, November 17, Shields added the WBC title with an impressive ten-round decision over Hannah Rankin in Mulvane, Kansas. Scores were 100-90 on all three judges’ scorecards for Shields who dominated with her technical skills and physical prowess.

Just 23-years-old, Shields won the IBF and WBC Super Middleweight Championships in August 2017 with a dominant stoppage of Germany’s Nikki Adler. In June of this year and in just her sixth pro fight, she dropped down to 160 pounds and won the IBF and WBA Middleweight titles with an exciting unanimous decision over Hanna Gabriels.

The 28-year old Hermans won the vacant WBO title with a ten-round decision over Nikki Adler on May 12, 2018 in Bayern, Germany. She had previously challenged Alicia Napoleon on March 3, 2018, in Brooklyn, NY for the vacant WBA Super Middleweight World Title, losing a ten-round decision.

Said Shields “I’m so excited to be fighting live on HBO and to share the stage with Cecelia Braekhus on December 8. It’s a great step forward for women’s boxing to have the two best female fighters in the world on the same card on worldwide television.” Shields vs. Hermans is presented in association with Salita Promotions.

“Claressa Shields is a very special athlete on a mission to lift women’s boxing and to prove she’s the greatest female boxer ever,” said Dmitry Salita of Salita Promotions. “It is an honor for Salita Promotions to be a part of her historic journey.”

Stated Shields’ Manager Mark Taffet, “Having spent a quarter century at HBO, it will be very meaningful and memorable for me to see Claressa Shields in that ring on December 8. I thank HBO, Tom Loeffler and Salita Promotions for providing this great night and opportunity for Claressa.”

UNDISPUTED is headlined by #1 Ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter and undisputed women’s welterweight world champion ‘The First Lady’ Cecilia Braekhus (34-0, 9 KOs), defending her titles (WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO) against two-time world title challenger, Aleksandra Magdziak-Lopes, (18-4-3, 1 KO), a native of Gilwice, Poland, now based in Marshfield, MA in the televised ten-round main event. Magdziak-Lopes also holds a victory over Braekhus’ recent opponent Kali Reis.

Former Men’s #1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, (47-2-0, 39 KOs), of Managua, Nicaragua, clashes with former world champion Pedro ‘Jibran’ Guevara, (32-3-1, 19 KOs), of Sinaloa, Mexico in the televised ten-round super flyweight co-main event.

Topping the non-televised undercard, popular female fighter Louisa ‘Bang Bang Lulu’ Hawton, (8-2-0, 4 KOs), of Perth, Australia will once again face off against Mexico’s Brenda ‘La Bonita’ Flores, (15-4-1, 3 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico in a featured ten-round world title fight rematch. In their memorable first clash, Flores was victorious by split decision on September 8, 2018 at the Forum in Los Angeles. Flores will be defending the WBC Atomweight World Title earned during their first bout.