Claressa Shields will return on August 15 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, moving back down to middleweight to challenge Kaye Scott for the WBC and WBA titles.
Shields (18-0, 3 KOs), ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound women’s boxer and the current undisputed heavyweight champion, has fought her last four bouts at heavyweight. She will now drop back to 160lbs, where she last competed in 2023 as the undisputed middleweight champion.
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The fight gives Shields a chance to reclaim two of the belts she once held in the division. She has already been undisputed at junior middleweight, middleweight and heavyweight, making her the only woman to hold undisputed status across three weight classes.
“At this point in my career, every fight is about legacy,” Shields said. “Every fight now is about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Scott (5-1-1, 0 KOs), from Australia, won the WBC and WBA middleweight titles by majority decision over Olivia Curry in December. The 42-year-old former amateur standout will now make her first title defense against the two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-division world champion.
“Kaye Scott is a champion, and I respect what she’s accomplished,” Shields said. “But becoming undisputed at 160 pounds again starts with beating the best.”
