The stakes have been raised for the upcoming world title fight between Claressa Shields and Ivana Habazin.
Showtime announced that the vacant WBC Female junior middleweight title has been added to the Shields vs. Habazin fight on October 5 in Flint, Michigan. The fight was previously just for the vacant WBO Female world title, but now the winner will be the unified WBO and WBC champion at 154 pounds.
Shields is dropping to junior middleweight for the first time in her pro career while also fighting in her hometown for the first time since turning professional. With a win, Shields would hold more than two world titles in three different weight classes after just 10 pro bouts, something no other boxer, male or female, has ever done. Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, is coming off a historic win over Christina Hammer in April to become boxing's first woman to be the undisputed middleweight champion.
Habazin, a former IBF welterweight champion, comes into the fight on a five-fight win streak after a 2016 loss to Mikaela Lauren. During that win streak, Habazin captured the IBO middleweight title, entering the fight with a 20-3 record.
"The WBC is proud and happy to be part of this ‘Herstoric’ event", WBC Women's Championship Chairman Malte Mueller-Michaelis said in a press release. "Both Shields and Habazin are outstanding athletes so we are looking forward to an exciting bout."
The fight will headline a three-fight Showtime broadcast. The other two bouts on the broadcast are a heavyweight fight between Jermaine Franklin and Pavel Sour as well as a welterweight matchup between Jaron Ennis and Demian Daniel Fernandez.
Fightful spoke to Shields about her future after this fight and getting the opportunity to have a homecoming bout. You can check out that article here.
