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The Mouth Piece: Can We Get Some Coverage on History Making Boxer Claressa Shields Please?

Do you think Claressa Shields will be the face of women's boxing when she turns pro?

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2ndArticleShotBy Lisa “Too Fierce” Cohen

USA Olympian Claressa Shields recently won her second Olympic Gold Medal in boxing. Strategically dominating Nouchika Fontijn of the Netherlands, Shields fought an A+ fight in this 4 round bout at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. In case you missed it here’s the fight “in a nutshell”:

Both Claressa Shields- (USA Red Corner) and Nouchika Fontijn –Netherlands (Blue Corner) made their way to the ring looking poised and confident.

Round 1

Fontijn set a pace moving around the ring, lobbing feeler punches toward Shields’ head. Though determined and persistent, few of her punches connect as Shields slipped and countered in flurries from the very beginning. Shield shifted not only the pace of the fight, she immediately commanded control.

Judges: 10-9 Shields

Round 2

Off the stool, both boxers stuck to their plans as Fontijn moved around the ring on her bike trying to suck Shields back into her game. Shield stayed on task by cutting off the ring, shifting and pivoting as she made her way to Fontijn landing body shots and random combinations at will.

Judges: 10-9 Shields

Round 3

Still very game yet now, more cautiously, Fontijn approaches Shield back to the center of the ring. As she jabs her way in, Shields double jab neutralizes her attempt to get off any power shots as Shields lands several devastating overhands. It’s plain to see that Shields has taken complete control of the bout. Working her body from the hips up, Shields platforms herself as she taunts the now frustrated Fontijn by slipping a barrage of continuous flurries as if she were playing a game of dodge ball. More confident then ever, Shields not only boxes beautifully, she wins the bout without breaking a sweat.

Judges: 10-9 Shields

Round 4

Shields looks to be having fun as she shut down the once chanting audience in favor of Fontijn. With hands down as if to say, “you couldn’t hit me if you wanted to”, Shields invites her opponent to do her best. At this point Shields presents herself as nothing but a problem as the bout has turned into a game of survival for Fontijn. The fact that Fontijn is still standing and still very much game says a lot for why she deserves the silver medal.

Judges: 10-9 Shields

Now I ask you, did you see this history making fight? Were you privy to even watching a recording of the event? How about even hearing the results of women’s boxing in general? Probably not. While NBC covered every thing from gymnastics, to beach volleyball on their closing claressa-shields-boxing-e1464374773336program, they failed to even mention USA’s own two time Gold Medal winning boxing champion Claressa Shields. Hummm… I wonder why?

While the media has a field day bringing up issues such as Gabby Douglas’ hair, and recycling the story about the misbehaving swimmers, they leave out this wonderful history making moment.

Claressa does not deserve to be ignored. She has been working for the past four years to achieve twice what most wont even get near in a lifetime. So, what does a woman have to do to get some attention in boxing around here?

Recently I chimed in on a conversation about the state of women’s boxing today. Though it can be argued that there has been a dramatic downturn in women’s boxing since 2003, I can see how it can make a swift comeback with the talent out there in the amateurs today. Unlike in 1996 when I got started, the raw talent that entered into the first Women’s National Championship was high in talent but low in quantity. Now, girls are entering boxing gyms as early as eight years old following their male counterparts. Twenty years later we are witnessing women boxers with as much dedication, domination and skill enter into the sweet science. Don’t they deserve the same attention, prestige and money as the men?

I’m just saying….

Being Too Fierce

A true story of triumph over adversity comes straight from the hard-knock life of a world championship boxer. After winning her coveted title, Lisa relives childhood memories of abuse, neglect, and pure evil inflicted by foster parents she lived with while also dreading random appearances of her manipulative mentally ill birth mother. Lisa’s gift for colorful storytelling touches her readers and she becomes their treasured friend. This is no victim story; inspiration and personal bravery abound.

Pick up your copy of Lisa’s book by clicking HERE.

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