It was an interesting weekend in boxing as an eclectic mix of former contenders, future prospects and in-their-prime women’s champions took center stage.
The big matchup of the weekend took place on Friday, when Showtime kicked off its four-woman tournament to determine the undisputed middleweight champion of the world. The first match was uneventful as Christina Hammer outclassed but couldn’t stop her opponent, Tori Nelson, eventually taking a wide unanimous decision and securing her spot in the finals of the tournament.
However, the second match of the night, which was supposed to be a showcasing of American Claressa Shields (now trained by John David Jackson), quickly became interesting as Shields was dropped with a sharp uppercut in the first round.