Hammer reportedly out of fight with Shields
Shields will stay on the November 17th card
Claressa Shields vs. Christina Hammer, one of the best possible fights in women’s boxing, is apparently off just a week after its initial announcement.
Very, very, very disappointed. I’ll let my team do the announcement! But what I will say is... I want this fight 100%. I am not the one sick. Idk the ins and outs of Hammers condition, but she can’t box til March the doctor says. I’m still going to fight the 17th of Nov
— ClaressaT-rexShields (@Claressashields) October 1, 2018
The bout would have unified all four women’s middleweight titles; Shields holds the IBF and WBA belts, Hammer the WBC and WBO.
Shields (6-0, 2 KO) is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time world amateur champion, and owned two titles at 168 before debuting at middleweight in June. Hammer (23-0, 10 KO) has held at least one title since 2010, though she did have a bit of help from the referee in her 2014 defense against Anne Sophie Mathis, and was last seen dominating the division’s #3 in Tori Nelson.
This is a fight that still needs to happen, so hopefully they can staple everything back together early next year. In the meantime, the powers that be have a month to find a competent opponent for “T-Rex.”