Claressa Shields floored Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse on three occasions in second round knockout win in Detroit; the American star stepped up two weight classes to fight for the WBO light-heavyweight title and also claimed Lepage-Joanisse’s WBC heavyweight belt
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Claressa Shields knocked out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse with ease in the second round to secure world titles in a fourth and fifth weight division.
Shields stepped up two weight classes to fight for the WBO light-heavyweight title and also claimed Lepage-Joanisse’s WBC heavyweight belt after flooring the Canadian on three occasions in Detroit.
Spiteful combinations from Shields troubled Lepage-Joanisse from the opening bell and she ruthlessly ended the fight in the following round.
With her back to the ropes, Shields unloaded a flurry of punches that sent Lepage-Joanisse crashing to the canva
Lepage-Joanisse rose unsteadily and was floored again by a follow up attack from Shields that ended with a short, sharp right hand.
Another overhand right sent Lepage-Joanisse down again and the referee waved it off, sparking celebrations from Shields and her hometown fans.
“Looking at Vanessa in her fights, she pushed girls back because her legs are very strong,” said Shields.
“We made sure I have the power in my legs to push her back, and not get pushed back, and also really worked on the strength in my arms.”
Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, had previously won won titles at 154, 160 and 168 pounds.
On the undercard, Julian Smith, a deaf boxer from the Chicago area, improved to 9-2 with an upset split-decision victory over Shohjahon Ergashev at super-lightweight.
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