CLARESSA Shields reeled off another world championship victory, her 13th in the paid ranks and made more history to finish a busy weekend of boxing Stateside with a UD10 win over previously unbeaten challenger Danielle Perkins.

Having become the first boxer, male or female, to claim undisputed world championships in three different weight divisions (middleweight, super-middle and heavyweight), the 29-year-old double Olympic champion continues racking up legacy-enhancing achievements.

It's still not enough for detractors, quick to criticize the Flint star's resume as the higher weight classes lack quality and depth.

Post-fight, T-Rex revealed an openness to box twice more in 2025, calling out rematches against Hanna Gabriels (22-2-1, 13 KOs), Franchon Crews-Dezurn (9-2, 9 KOs) and former unified super-middleweight champion Savannah Marshall (13-1, 10 KOs) among others.

First things first, she'll need surgery to repair a torn labrum in her left shoulder that almost saw her withdraw from this latest homecoming altogether last week. ESPN reported she couldn't lift her arm for two or three days, though therapy and ice did the trick as a short-term solution.

Marshall hasn't boxed since a 10-round majority decision win over Crews-Dezurn, where they headlined BOXXER's Manchester card on July 1, 2023. Shields' amateur rival mirrored her by venturing into the MMA space with PFL last summer but last month insisted a rematch at heavyweight interests her later this year after a proposed return in March.

Gabriels, who dropped Shields early but lost a wide 10-round decision during their IBF world middleweight title fight in June 2018, ended a three-and-a-half year hiatus with a fourth-round stoppage win over Sara Anti Gabriel in her native Costa Rica on Dec. 29.

The pair were slated to rematch in June 2023, before Maricela Cornejo stepped into the breach as a short-notice replacement after Gabriels tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in a VADA drugs test, with promoter Lou DiBella attributing this to applying medication on her dog containing the ingredient.

Crews-Dezurn inflicted Shadasia Green's first pro loss to win the vacant WBC super-middleweight title in December 2023, but uninspired by offers on the table, hasn't boxed since. She too wants big fights, though there's no real clamour for a Shields rematch - they shared the ring on their professional debuts in November 2016, Shields outpointing her over four rounds.

On the broadcast, DAZN's Chris Mannix made the case for a completely different American option later this year.

"Claressa needs an event. There probably isn't a bigger one than her against Mikaela Mayer, former Olympic teammates, two years ago it might've been a fantasy fight... Shields boxing at 154 to 168-pounds while Mikaela campaigned at 130, but now she's moved up to 147. Get through the Sandy Ryan rematch and as far as US fights go, they don't get much bigger.

"Both told me they're down for the fight, they'd have a brilliant press tour, might even be a bit of friction between them, some stuff might bubble to the surface - that's the kind of event Claressa needs - she's already proven the most decorated woman above 154lbs, she needs a big event against another US fighter and Mayer would give her that."

Mayer will rematch Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) after edging a majority decision win over the now-former champion in their WBO world welterweight clash last September 27 at New York's Madison Square Garden Theater.

After a thrilling first contest, there were murmurs of Mayer rematching against now unified IBF/WBC titleholder Natasha Jonas, before she opted for an all-British battle headlining Royal Albert Hall with WBA, IBO and RING champion Lauren Price on March 7.

Shields has often said she'd be willing to drop down in weight if the matchup made sense and while recently ruling out undisputed super-featherweight world champion Alycia Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs) as an option, neutrals would hope they could emulate the sort of rivalry Mayer had with Baumgardner, and now Sandy Ryan.

Former WBC junior middleweight world champion-turned-analyst Sergio Mora agreed with Mannix's take, insisting he wants to see Shields' greatness continue to be showcased against fresh challenges.

"I don't want to recycle, the thing about women's boxing is there isn't a large pool of talent so they have to keep fighting each other, sometimes it works out great when they rematch and have trilogies.

I'm with Mannix on this, the Mayer fight makes a lot of sense, she's a tall fighter with wide shoulders, can come up in weight, both are Olympians with great stories, it can sell and be really big. I'd rather see something new and fresh, Mayer is the way to go. I want to see Shields continue to do great things, but against new opponents."