At only 21, Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields has been making history for quite some time now. After winning gold at both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics in Women’s middleweight boxing, she became the first American boxer, man or woman, to win an Olympic title back to back.
Now, the Flint, Michigan native is set to be the first woman to headline a full lineup of boxing matches on Showtime. The premium network will present TV’s first women’s boxing main event with Shields taking on Szilvia Szabados of Hungary, former world title challenger, at the MGM in Detroit. The match, coined as “Detroit City Gold,” will take place on Friday, March 10 at 10 p.m. EST and live on Showtime.
Shields is currently (1-0) in professional middleweight matches after turning professional in November. Szabados is 15-8 with six KOs, some of those knockouts coming in three of her last five fights. But don’t underestimate Shields when it comes to this six-round bout. As previously mentioned, she’s the first American boxer to defend amateur sports premier championship and held an impressive 77-1 amateur record.
Aside from the historic main event, other names on the boxing card include some of Detroit’s burgeoning boxers, “as well as some national and international flavor.” But all eyes are sure to be on both Shields and Szabados for the bill-topping bout as they fight for the North American Boxing Federation title. Shields is excited to have the opportunity.
“I really can’t explain my excitement!” she said on Instagram. “For those who don’t know, The NABF was one of the first titles that the great Muhammad Ali fought for and won after his 1960 win at the Olympic Games!!!! To be given the opportunity to follow in his footsteps is an honor! And I’ll continue to carry his legacy!”
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