Boxing
Claressa Shields vs. Ivana Habazin junior middleweight title fight rescheduled for Oct. 5
The quest for history for Claressa Shields had a bump in the road, but is now back on track.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Shields and Ivana Habazin will now meet on Saturday, Oct. 5, for the vacant WBO women's junior middleweight championship at the Dort Federal Event Center in Shields' hometown of Flint, Mich., on Showtime. The bout had been set for Aug. 17, but the two-time Olympic gold medalist suffered a knee injury and was forced to pull out from the fight.
A win and the 24-year-old Shields (9-0, 2 KOs) would become the quickest person in the sport's history to be a three-division world champion.
“I’m more excited than ever," Shields said in a press release statement. "I’m 100 percent recovered, and I can’t wait to get back in the ring and fight in front of my hometown fans in Flint as undisputed champion of the world. Having the opportunity to become world champion in a third weight division faster than any man or woman in boxing history will make October 5 a night I will cherish forever. It’s another big step in history, and giant step forward in lifting women’s boxing on the road to equality.”
Habazin (20-3, 7 KOs), who resides Zagreb, Croatia, will compete in the United States for the first time. The 29-year-old captured the IBF welterweight title over Sabrina Giuliani in March 2014 before losing to the undisputed 147-pound champion, Cecilia Braekhus, in September 2014. Habazin knows the opportunity that awaits her and looks forward to the chance of being the first to dethrone Shields.
“It’s an honor and a dream to fight in the U.S. on national television,” Habazin said. “A lot of fighters never get this opportunity in their careers, so I know I need to make the most of it. I’ve been training for this fight since June, and the postponement has only given me more time to get ready. I intend to put my best effort forward to impress the fans and show that I am for real. I am not just coming to fight for a world title, I am fighting for my life and my career. I believe I am the best and now I got the chance to prove that, and there is no better opponent for that than Claressa Shields.”
