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In her first fight since becoming a five-division champion, Claressa Shields (15-0) will defend her belts against Danielle Perkins (5-0). It's time to continue our boxing odds series with a Shields-Perkins prediction and pick.
Shields, 29, is making her first walk since having her life story depicted in the major motion picture “The Fire Inside.” ‘The GWOAT' continues to dominate every matchup given to her. She will compete at heavyweight for just the second time on Sunday after knocking out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in her divisional debut.
Perkins, 42, will be competing in just her sixth professional fight. However, she is a former amateur world champion and will also enter the title fight undefeated. Perkins is coming off a unanimous decision nod over Christianne Fahey in July 2024.
Here are the Claressa Shields-Danielle Perkins odds, courtesy of FanDuel
Boxing Odds: Claressa Shields-Danielle Perkins Odds
Claressa Shields: -2400
Danielle Perkins: +810
Over 7.5 Rounds:
Under 7.5 Rounds:
How to Watch Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT
Main event ring walk time (estimated): 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
TV/Stream: DAZN
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Why Claressa Shields Will Win
Shields is known as ‘The GWOAT' for a reason. After capping off arguably the greatest amateur career of all time with her second gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, she has done nothing but dominate as a professional. Her skill seems to apply to any weight class, as she looked as good as she ever had in her heavyweight debut.
The biggest knock on Shields throughout her career has been her lack of knockout power. Of her 15 fights, 12 have gone to a decision, leading to just a 20 percent knockout rate. However, moving up to heavyweight may have solved those issues, as Shields' knockout of Lepage-Joanisse in her 175-pound debut was the shortest fight of her professional career.
However, Shields' hand speed is her biggest trait, even more than her power. Few could match her timing and speed at light heavyweight, and her counters were just far too quick for Lepage-Joanisse at heavyweight. Perkins, a plodding and methodical boxer, will be in a world of trouble if she cannot get Shields' speed under control.
Why Danielle Perkins Will Win
Perkins is an extremely big heavyweight. By big, that means the largest opponent of Shields' career by a wide margin. With a four-inch height and reach advantage, it will be clear in the ring that one woman is a true heavyweight and the other is not.
For as unbeatable as Shields may look right now, size does eventually play a factor. Shields is not small, but Perkins is nearly a full head taller than her. Perkins may not be the most talented fighter Shields has ever faced, but she poses a unique challenge that ‘The GWOAT' has never had to solve before.
Before she faced Lepage-Joanisse, Shields admitted that she would sacrifice volume for power at heavyweight. That worked, as she flattened Lepage-Joanisse in under two rounds, but she has historically not been a knockout-heavy fighter. As the significantly faster fighter, Shields could easily fall behind on the scorecards against a longer opponent without much volume.
Final Claressa Shields-Danielle Perkins Prediction & Pick
Shields' could not have a more tailor-made matchup for her first heavyweight title defense. After showing off her timing and fight IQ for most of her career, she has been adamant about proving her power in her new weight class. As such, she will now face a 42-year-old with five career fights under her belt. The combined record of Perkins' five previous opponents is just 10-4-2.
At this point in her career, Shields is more focused on gaining fans and building her legacy than she is on winning individual matchups. Against Lepage-Joanisse, she sat down on her punches and sought a finish against an overmatched opponent more than she ever has in her career. There is no questioning her legacy; Shields is now focused on creating highlights. It will take her longer to get her timing down against the six-foot Perkins, but her goal has not changed. Perkins has little head movement and, despite her size, frequently reaches on her punches.
Once Shields had Lepage-Joanisse in the slightest bit of trouble, she swarmed her like a lion hunting a wounded animal. Expect the same from her in this fight in front of her hometown crowd, fresh off a movie release.
Final Claressa Shields-Danielle Perkins Prediction & Pick: Claressa Shields by KO/TKO (+390)
