WE HAVE A FIGHT! @Claressashields at a ready 159.4lbs and @LadyHammer1 at 159lbs ahead of tomorrow’s undisputed middleweight championship 9:10PM ET on Showtime
STREAM #ShieldsHammer : https://t.co/DeJre3WSqg pic.twitter.com/IjffsAf9QO
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) April 12, 2019
It’s not often in boxing that one division is set for an undisputed championship fight, what with all the various sanctioning bodies, mandatory challengers, promoters and networks constantly messing things up. However, the “Sweet Science” will crown a new undisputed women’s middleweight champion on Saturday when Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer go toe-to-toe for all the marbles inside Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Thankfully both women made weight at the official weigh-ins on Friday, setting the stage for the biggest matchup in women’s boxing in several years.
Hammer (24-0, 11 KOs) has bested everybody in her path en route to capturing the WBO and WBC 160-pound titles. The tall Kazakhstani is coming off a knockout of Elene Sikmashvili in February and is poised for her biggest challenge yet. The 28-year-old, who fights out of Germany, weighed in at 159 pounds.
Shields (8-0, 2 KOs) has gotten a huge promotional push since turning pro and for good reason. “T-Rex” twice took home the gold for the United States in the Olympics and has turned away every foe she’s faced. The Flint, Michigan, native was equally as ready as her opponent; the 24-year-old IBF/WBA/WBC champion tipped the scale at 159.4 pounds.
The action will be televised live on Showtime beginning at 9:10 p.m. ET.