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Claressa Shields is a unified middleweight champion again, stopping Kaye Scott  in the sixth round at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on August 15th to claim the WBA and WBC titles.

Shields was the more active and accurate fighter throughout, opening up Scott's face as early as the second round and forcing a relentless pace. The only real moment of adversity came in the fifth, when Scott backed her to the ropes and had her briefly uncomfortable.

Shields responded in the sixth by turning up the pressure and wobbling Scott with a left hook. An overhand right forced a count. Scott beat it, but a subsequent barrage prompted her corner to throw in the towel at 1:38 of the round.

"I know I made it look easy, but Kaye Scott had power behind those punches," Shields

"The right hand landed pretty hard. I hadn't been hit like that before with a right hand that hard. My legs were gone and I couldn't recover. I tried everything, but she was just too good — her speed and power,” Scott

Shields, 31, dropped three weight classes to make the fight happen and now sets her sights on a return in December or January. Mikaela Mayer is her preferred next opponent, with Lauren Price and Tammi Thibeault also on her radar.

This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.

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