On Saturday, October 5, middleweight champion Claressa Shields and former world champion Ivana Habazin will face off in a WBO junior middleweight title fight on Showtime. Shields is 9-0 in her career with two knockouts, while Habazin is 20-3 with 7 knockouts. Shields vs. Habazin will take place at the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, Michigan and will be featured on Showtime Boxing with a start time of 9 p.m. Eastern. Let’s look at the bout and boxing picks.
Boxing Odds at Bookmaker.eu
Claressa Shields – Check Back Later
Ivana Habazin – Check Back Later
Over/Under Rounds – Check Back Later
Claressa Shields (9-0, 2 KO’s)
Shields is coming off a dominating victory against Christina Hammer in April that gave her the undisputed middleweight title. She is trying to become a three-division champion in just 10 fights and that would break the record of Vasiliy Lomachenko, who was a three-division champ in 12 fights.
“I’m more excited than ever. I’m 100 percent recovered, and I can’t wait to get back in the ring and fight in front of my hometown fans in Flint as undisputed champion of the world,” said Shields to the media, “Having the opportunity to become world champion in a third weight division faster than any man or woman in boxing history will make October 5 a night I will cherish forever. It’s another big step in history, and giant step forward in lifting women’s boxing on the road to equality.”
Ivana Habazin (20-3, 7 KO’s)
Habazin is the top ranked fighter by the WBO at 154 pounds. She won the IBF welterweight title in 2014, as she defeated Sabrina Giuliani. Habazin is coming off a win against Eva Bajic in Zagreb. This will be the first fight for Habazin in the United States.
“It’s an honor and a dream to fight in the U.S. on national television,” Habazin said to the media, “A lot of fighters never get this opportunity in their careers so I know I need to make the most of it. I’ve been training for this fight since June and the postponement has only given me more time to get ready. I intend to put my best effort forward to impress the fans and show that I am for real.”
Habazin realizes that fighting Shields in her hometown could make it difficult to win a fight that goes to decision. Habazin said she can win this fight by knockout. "I think I can punch," Habazin said in a conference call, "The difference before was … I wasn't finishing people. That was my problem. Right now, it's a different story. I made the best preparation ever. Never before in my life I have had preparation like this. I feel strong. I feel I have power to knock people out. For this fight, this is my goal because I don't believe judges' scorecards. When you knock somebody out, that's the only way you can win (for sure)."
Fight Preview
There is no reason to think that Habazin has the power to threaten Shields and she is very unlikely to win a decision. This should be a fight that Shields controls from start to finish. The price will probably be too high for a serious play on Shields, but taking the rounds to go over may be worth looking at, as neither of these two fighters has a lot of knockout power. Shields even said that no one is going to knock her out. “It’s not even possible to knock me out. I may have been dropped by Hanna Gabriels but that was a shot when I was off-balance. I’ve never been stung by a woman or a man.” Shields said to the media.
Boxing Betting Tips
Shields is the pick in this one, but the price will probably be too high for a big play, so I will take the rounds to go over the total.
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With the boxing odds at BookMaker Sportsbook, you can bet on boxing all year, from smaller cards to pay-per-view events. Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook. Claressa Shields vs. Ivana Habazin takes place on October 5, 2019 at the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, Michigan and can be seen on Showtime.
