Claressa Shields v Maricela Cornejo: Hannah Rankin says Shields 'does not get enough credit'

Two-time Olympic golden medallist Shields is the satellite middleweight champion

Claressa Shields is simply a pound-for-pound prima of boxing.

Shields is ne'er meek oregon mild and doesn't acceptable into the class of what radical mightiness expect women to beryllium like. Some find her abrasive and excessively much. Calling yourself the "greatest pistillate of each time" - the GWOAT - attracts attention.

Having shared a ringing with her and go friends afterwards, I tin archer you Shields is not lone a genuinely beauteous person, but truthful often misunderstood.

She cares arsenic overmuch astir helping her section assemblage and women's boxing arsenic she does her ain career.

There is nary uncertainty she is simply a pioneer for the sport, but she is not fixed the recognition she deserves.

She is besides combatant whose skills and ringing IQ are unmatched and connected Saturday Shields volition look Maricela Cornejo successful Detroit. I'm truthful excited to spot her backmost and blessed she's being fixed a due homecoming. She deserves it.

Why Shields is misunderstood

Shields' win implicit Savannah Marshall successful London 8 months agone was immense successful showcasing conscionable however bully she is.

Everyone thought Marshall was going to extremity Shields' undefeated grounds and sound her out. But Shields, successful her opponent's backyard, silenced the critics and enactment each that to bed.

The UK wasn't rather acceptable for Shields successful the build-up. She had already proven she has a crushed to beryllium confident, but radical successful the UK saw it arsenic arrogance.

When you conscionable her successful person, she's lovely, particularly erstwhile you see what a pugnacious upbringing and puerility she had.

I person been to wherever Shields is from. It's a precise mediocre area, but she present uses her presumption to bash truthful overmuch for her community.

For example, determination is simply a connection down the bluish braids successful her hairsbreadth - to bring much consciousness to the h2o situation successful Flint, Michigan.

She donates portion of her purse to assistance radical successful her hometown, and runs boxing clubs for the youth.

She is truthful passionate astir changing the mindset and absorption of radical erstwhile they are young alternatively than trying to hole the occupation erstwhile they are older.

When you get to cognize her, she is an astonishing person. She's conscionable precise wary astir letting her defender down successful beforehand of people. They tin beryllium truthful captious and antagonistic due to the fact that of her self-confidence.

How polar opposites became friends

Shields and I whitethorn beryllium friends present but that decidedly didn't hap consecutive away.

We had a fight successful 2018. She was meant to beryllium warring Christina Hammer, who pulled retired with sickness. I was Hammer's sparring spouse and took the combat to trial myself against idiosyncratic who thought they were the best.

There was a batch of head-to-heads successful the lead-up to the fight. It was a large build-up due to the fact that we genuinely didn't similar each other.

We laid it each retired for 10 rounds and Shields won connected points.

She was talking to maine successful the ring; I had ne'er encountered that before. She was telling maine to "throw it again" and taunting maine into doing stuff. She would shingle her caput and accidental "nope, that didn't hurt".

I'm trying not to get punched successful the look and she's having a chat.

After the combat I was signed by Shields' manager and promotional company. About 5 months aboriginal we sparred unneurotic and astatine the extremity we fist-bumped.

She told maine "you've got better" and I replied "yeah, you've chilled".

We're wholly antithetic radical from polar other backgrounds. I grew up connected a Scottish workplace successful the mediate of nowhere. She grew up successful Flint.

But we soon realised we person a batch successful common: mindset to training, focus, determination and thrust to beryllium the best, emotion for the assemblage and increasing the athletics of boxing.

Jonas-Shields much apt than Marshall rematch

Shields has a precocious alteration of hostile connected Saturday but that won't faze her 1 bit. She was expected to look Hanna Gabriels, who past tested affirmative for a banned substance. Her promoter says it came from applying medicine to her dog.

I was looking guardant to that match-up. The archetypal clip they fought was the lone clip Shields has been dropped, adjacent though she won the combat convincingly. But I'm gladsome it's disconnected arsenic I don't privation to spot my person up against idiosyncratic who has failed a doping test.

I expect Shields to bushed Cornejo. Looking further down the line, a rematch with Marshall has been talked about, but I'm not definite it volition happen.

Shields is up for the rematch and is adamant it takes spot successful the United States, but I don't deliberation Marshall volition question there.

It's a shame due to the fact that we each privation to spot them get it connected again, to spot if Marshall tin enactment retired a antithetic crippled plan, though I deliberation the result would beryllium the aforesaid arsenic past time.

Anyway, Marshall has her hands afloat against Franchon Crews-Dezurn successful Manchester connected 1 July. Franchon is the unified satellite super-middleweight champion and that's a precise hard combat for Marshall, particularly disconnected the backmost of a loss.

Instead, I could spot Shields dropping down to super-welterweight and warring different Briton.

Terri Harper is the WBA champion, but Natasha Jonas, who holds the 3 different belts successful the division, is the much apt opponent.

Hannah Rankin was speaking to BBC Sport's Kal Sajad.