Claressa Shields believes that Maricela Cornejo and Hanna Gabriels are comparable opponents, but she anticipates that Cornejo will have a fresher approach when they face each other on Saturday night in Detroit.
A last-minute obstacle has given Cornejo a chance at Shields' undisputed crown after Gabriels, from Costa Rica tested positive for a banned substance.
Shields (13-0, 2 KOs) will be defending her IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO middleweight titles against Cornejo (16-5, 6 KOs) in the main event, which will be streamed worldwide by DAZN from Little Caesars Arena at 9 p.m. EDT.
"I feel like they’re on the same level, as far as their skills. But Maricela is taller, she’s longer and she’s younger, so she may have stronger and fresher legs. I’m just happy she accepted the fight on 10 days’ notice. You know, when Hanna Gabriels tested positive I was just happy we were able to get past that and that this fight is still going on, that I have another opponent. I had a very, very hard training camp, so I was planning on punishing Hanna Gabriels. Sadly, I’ve gotta punish Maricela the same way," Shields told BoxingScene.com.
Cornejo was training for a fight scheduled on June 6 when her team was approached to step in for Gabriels (21-2-1, 12 KOs). Additionally, Cornejo holds the number one contender position for Shields' IBF, WBC, and WBO 160-pound championships, making her a logical choice to replace Gabriels.
To avoid disrupting Shields' training camp, her team chose not to inform the three-division champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist about Gabriels' situation until Cornejo confirmed her willingness to fight last week.
"Actually, I wasn’t notified until three days after everybody knew. You know, no one had told me anything until they had a replacement opponent. So, I didn’t have to go through all those feelings of, ‘Oh, the fight may be off.’ They called me like, ‘We’ve got some bad news for you. We’ve been working on it the last three, four days.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ And they’re like, ‘Hanna Gabriels tested positive for a banned substance. But you’re fighting Maricela Cornejo.’ And I was like, ‘OK, great."
"So, I didn’t have to go through the whole, ‘Oh, no! I don’t have an opponent! She tested positive! There’s no fight!’ I didn’t have to go through that, thank God. That’s what the team is for, to protect me. I would’ve been devastated if they hit me up on the first day, while I’m training, losing weight and eating healthy and everything, getting prepared for the fight, and told me about Hanna Gabriels."
Beatrice Adamu is a writer for AceTVBoxing.com. She can be reached on Twitter @oh_stillbella or via email: adamubeatrice13@gmail.com.
Be the First to Comment