Claressa Shields stops Kaye Scott in sixth to reclaim WBA and WBC middleweight titles
Claressa Shields stopped Australia’s Kaye Scott at 1:38 of the sixth round at State Farm Arena in Atlanta early on Sunday to capture the WBA and WBC middleweight titles, improving her record to 19-0 with four knockouts while Scott fell to 5-2-1.
Shields, the 31-year-old five-division world champion and double Olympic gold medallist, moved down from heavyweight to middleweight for the bout, returning to 160lb after last fighting at that weight against Maricela Cornejo in June 2023; her promoter billed her as only the second heavyweight champion in more than 120 years to win a world title in a lower division. Scott, a 42-year-old former champion and decorated amateur who turned professional at 39, was making just her eighth pro start and entered the fight as a significant underdog.
From the opening bell, Shields controlled the tempo, taking Scott’s measure in the early rounds before increasing pressure; her hand speed and accuracy frequently allowed her to land first and evade counters while a sustained body attack wore the champion down. In the sixth round Shields dropped Scott, then sent her back against the ropes and, after the ropes held Scott up and a count followed, Scott’s corner threw several towels into the ring and the contest was stopped at 1min 38sec.
The victory returned Shields to championship status at 160lb and represented only her second stoppage win in nine years. Shields remains the undisputed heavyweight champion even after the descent in weight, and the bout was her first fight outside Michigan since 2022 as well as the first women’s main event in State Farm Arena history, staged before a crowd of around 16,000.
Reflecting on preparation and the weight cut, Shields said: "It was a hard camp. I always tell myself that everything is easy work, but it was a really hard camp. I cut 38 pounds. I started 14 weeks ago at 198 and then I got down to 160. It was the most disciplined I’ve been since the Olympics, I feel like." On her in-ring approach she added: "I was actually just trying to figure her out. She was stronger than what I thought. She was very strong. I knew that, with me cutting the weight that I cut, I didn’t want to exert too much early. I was trying to make sure I could deal with her strength and not get caught with nothing crazy, because I’m not as strong as I feel at 175."
Shields mentioned multiple potential next opponents, including Mikaela Mayer and Canada’s Tammara Thibeault, and criticised Thibeault’s experience despite her titles: "She’s only had five fights as a professional, but she’s got belts," Shields said of Thibeault. "It’s not my fault these girls don’t have the experience that I have. She’s got a belt that I know belongs to me – and that’s the Ring belt." The source notes Thibeault won the IBF, WBO and Ring titles in her fifth professional fight last weekend in Orlando.
Shields identified Britain’s Lauren Price as her preferred opponent at 160lb and said she hoped that fight could be staged in December or January.