Claressa Shields won a 10-round unanimous decision over Ivana Habazin to win unified WBC/WBO Junior Middleweight titles at Ovation Hall inside the Ocean Casino in Atlantic City.
In round six, Shields scored the 1st knockdown in her career by landing a hard right to the body that sent Habazin to a knee.
Shields dominated the action and became a three-division world champion.
Shields, 153 1/2 lbs of Flint, MI won by scores of 100-90, 100-89 and 99-89 and is now 10-0. Habazin, 152 1/2 lbs of Croatia is 20-4.
Super prospect Jaron Ennis lived up to his billing as he stopped Bakhtiyar Eyubov in round four of a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.
Ennis came out blazing with powerful and rapid combinations that sent Eyubov to the canvas twice in round one. The bout could have been stopped there, but Eyubov was able to get out of the opening frame. he fought tough and tried to land power punches and got through on a couple of occasions, but Ennis was too good and continued to beat on Eyubov.
Mercifully the bout was stopped 34 seconds into round four with Ennis continuing his assault on Eyubov.
Ennis, 145 3/4 lbs of Philadelphia is 25-0 with 23 knockouts. Eyubov, 146 1/4 lbs of Houston is 14-2-1-1.
“We knew he was coming to fight and bring pressure so we mixed it up,” Ennis said. “He was a good fighter but he wasn’t really that strong. I was getting hit a little too much but that’s how we did it to get the knockout.
“We were just setting him up for power shots. I just had to calm down, that’s all. I was too hyped. Once I calmed down and got into my rhythm that was it.
“He was taking a lot of punishment. He definitely was a great fighter though. I appreciate him taking the fight because a lot of guys don’t want to fight me.”
With another dominating performance, Ennis now sets his sights on the upper echelon of one of boxing’s deepest and most exciting divisions.
“We have been wanting all the guys,” Ennis said. “They keep running. They can’t run no more. I’m right here.”
Ellin Cederroos unified the IBF and WBA Super Middleweight titles with a unanimous decision over Alicia Napoleon Espinonsa.
The two traded power shots throughout the entertaining bout.
In round two, Cedderos dropped Napoleon with a left hook.
In round nine, Napoleon Espinosa was cut around the right eye. Cederroos was bleeding from her nose in the 10th.
The knockdown was the difference as Cederroos, 166 1/2 lbs of Sweden won by scores of 95-94 on all cards. Napoleon Espinosa, 164 lbs of Lyndehurst, NY is 12-2.
“I’m so happy. I showed that I can box and take a war,” Cederroos said. “But when I relaxed the punches just came. It feels so wonderful. Alicia was a great opponent.”
Napoleon Espinosa was game and hurt the Swedish Cederroos multiple times but she was largely unable to get inside against her taller opponent who consistently landed the bigger punches from a distance.
“I didn’t think I lost. I thought that it was fairly close but I thought I was ahead,” Napoleon Espinosa said. “It is what it is, but I don’t think that I lost this fight.
“I know she was strong, but I wanted a tough fight. I know that Elin is an athlete. I don’t feel that I lost. I feel like it was close.”
Napoleon Espinosa had been hoping that a win would position her for a 2020 fight with Claressa Shields at middleweight with all four of Shields’ 160-pound titles on the line.
“Congrats on the fight with Shields because that was what I was looking forward to,” Napoleon Espinosa said.
