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SPORTS Monday 15 april 2019
Olympic gold medalist Shields unifies middleweight division

By DAN GELSTON in 2012 at London and 2016
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — in Rio, and hasn’t lost since
Claressa Shields tossed one 2012 as an amateur. Shields
championship belt around has made it a mission to
her neck, fastened anoth- revolutionize women’s box-
er around her waist and ing the way Ronda Rousey
draped one more over a became a mainstream
shoulder. star in mixed martial arts.
She had about run out of There have been more ac-
room for all her titles. complished female fighters
At least the ones she can — Laila Ali, Christy Martin,
use as accessories. Shields Lucia Rijker top the short
staked her claim as the top list — but no bout has quite
middleweight in boxing matched this one in antici-
and maybe even as the pation or potential historic
GWOAT — yes, the Great- significance.
est Woman Of All Time. She Martin, who fought on
may not be there yet, but cards headlined by Mike
with more beatings like the Tyson other heavyweight
one she put on Christina champions, was in atten-
Hammer, Shields may soon dance and Oscar winning
earn that coveted title. actress Halle Berry tweeted
Shields used her speed and her support .
power to push to the brink Claressa Shields holds her belts after defeating Christina Hammer by unanimous decision in the “Tonight is one of the big-
of a knockout as the two- women’s world middleweight championship boxing bout Saturday, April 13, 2019, in Atlantic City, gest fights in women’s
time Olympic gold medalist N.J. middleweight boxing - I’m
remained undefeated with Associated Press so proud that this moment
a unanimous decision over had a few thousand fans Odds are she’ll be in it. went flying in the eighth has arrived, and am even
Hammer in a middleweight on their feet — and A-listers Undefeated and undisput- round — she may have more proud of my dear
championship bout and rooting her on from home ed, the 24-year-old Shields spit it out — when she ab- sweet STRONG friend @Cla-
one of the most anticipat- — to give herself plenty of won 98-91 on two cards sorbed more blows to the ressashields! Make some
ed fights in women’s box- gold to strap around her and 98-92 on the other, face that left her reeling history tonight, CHAMP!!”
ing history. waist to go with the medals and was simply dominant and with about no chance Berry tweeted.
Shields (9-0) held three ver- around her neck. over 10 two-minute rounds. for a comeback. Oscar nominee Rosie Per-
sions of the 160-pound title “I am the greatest woman “I feel like I’m dreaming,” Shields, out of Flint, Michi- ez was also watching the
and snagged Hammer’s of all time. Give me that,” Shields said. “I knew I could gan, nailed Hammer with bout.
slice of the division champi- Shields said in the ring. hurt her. I thought I finished a flurry of shots to close the “That right hand Shields.
onship to unify the belts Sat- “Women’s boxing, we’re her around round 8. I was eighth round and had the Needs to... Ooh! Nice body
urday night at Boardwalk on fire. I can’t wait to see so pumped.” fans howling for “T-Rex!” by Shields. Good scrap,”
Hall. The charismatic Shields the next super fight.” Hammer’s mouthpiece Shields won Olympic gold she tweeted.q

Belgian veteran Gilbert beats

Politt to win Paris-Roubaix

ROUBAIX, France (AP) — win all them. Little by little the North,” because of its
Veteran cyclist Philippe I’m getting there,” an elat- treacherous profile includ-
Gilbert beat German rider ed Gilbert said afterward. ing more than 50 kilometers
Nils Politt right at the end “Politt’s very courageous. (31 miles) of cobblestones
of Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix In the end the best rider spread out over 29 sectors.
race to win it for the first won, and thankfully it was “A lot of people said cob-
time. Gilbert strategically me.” Last year’s Paris-Rou- blestones aren’t for me. But
placed himself behind the baix winner Peter Sagan I’ve won Tour of Flanders
24-year-old Politt, and then joined Gilbert and Politt and now I’ve won here,”
attacked him down the left near the front with about Gilbert said. “I rode a good
to win by about a length 20 kilometers left. But Sa- race tactically.”
after nearly six hours of rid- gan dropped off, leaving Belgian cyclist Tiesj Benoot
ing. Belgian rider Yves Lam- Gilbert and Politt to contest crashed into the back of
paert finished in third. victory as they reached a Jumbo-Visma team car
The race is one of cycling’s the Roubaix velodrome in near the end of Sunday’s
five high-profile classics, northern France. race, smashing the back
along with the Tour of Paris-Roubaix is known as window completely. He
Flanders, Milan-San Remo, the Queen of the Classics was taken to hospital but
Liege-Bastogne-Liege and because it is the most pres- his injuries were not imme-
the Giro di Lombardia. tigious of the five, which are diately known. Philippe Gilbert of Belgium celebrates as he crosses the finish
The 36-year-old Gilbert, a otherwise known as “monu- Last year’s Paris-Roubaix line ahead of Nils Politt of Germany, left, to win the 117th edition
former world road race ments” of cycling. was overshadowed by the of the Paris-Roubaix cycling classic, a 257 kilometer (160 mile)
champion, has won all ex- But the grueling and dan- death of Belgian rider Mi- one-day-race, with about 20 per cent of the distance over
cept Milan-San Remo. gerous 257-kilometer trek is chael Goolaerts, following cobblestone roads, at the velodrome in Roubaix, northern
“I still have this dream to also known as the “Hell of a crash. q France, Sunday, April 14, 2019. Associated Press