A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Friday at Verona, New York
Claressa Shields W10 Tori Nelson -- Full recap
Retains unified women's super middleweight title
Scores: 100-90 Shields (three times)
Records: Shields (5-0, 2 KOs); Nelson (17-1-3, 2 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Shields' domination continued as she has yet to be challenged in her first five pro fights. Shields, 22, of Flint, Michigan, won Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016 -- the only American to win consecutive gold medals in boxing -- turned pro with fanfare and won a pair of super middleweight world titles in her fourth pro fight by knocking out Nikki Adler in the fifth round in August.
Making her first defense against mandatory challenger Nelson, 41, a former middleweight world titleholder from Ashburn, Virginia, Shields rolled to victory with ease in the main event of Showtime's "ShoBox: The New Generation." Shields landed textbook combinations, worked the body and landed many solid shots, but Nelson took everything. In the end, it was not remotely close. Shields landed 225 of 632 punches (36 percent), according to CompuBox, and won by shutout as she went 10 rounds for the first time. Nelson landed only 81 of 400 punches (20 percent).
The fight is likely Shields' last at super middleweight, at least for the foreseeable future. She plans to move down to middleweight for a fight in April on the same card as unified middleweight titlist Christina Hammer (22-0, 10 KOs), 27, of Germany, who was ringside. If they both win those April fights, Shields would challenge Hammer for her belts this summer. Shields then plans to move down to junior middleweight in search of another world title and perhaps for a big fight with Cecilia Braekhus (32-0, 9 KOs), 36, of Norway, the No. 1 women's pound-for-pound boxer in the world and the longtime undisputed women's welterweight champion. The sky seems the limit for Shields, who is by far the biggest name in American women's boxing.
Jesse Hernandez W10 Ernesto Garza III
Junior featherweight
Scores: 97-93, 95-94 Hernandez, 95-93 Garza.
Records: Hernandez (11-1, 7 KOs); Garza III (9-3, 5 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: What a good fight. Hernandez, 27, of Fort Worth, Texas, and fellow southpaw Garza, 29, of Saginaw, Michigan, really put on a good show in a competitive and entertaining fight. Last February, Garza, a former National Golden Gloves champion as an amateur, got blown away in the third round by elite prospect Jon Fernandez, but that was at featherweight. Then he dropped down to junior featherweight and won two fights in a row before facing Hernandez; they were both in their first scheduled 10-round bout.
The fight was give-and-take all the way. Garza's biggest moment came just before the bell ended the second round, when he landed a short left hand to the nose that dropped Hernandez. But Hernandez was not badly hurt and came back strong. He landed a lot of body shots and knocked Garza's mouthpiece out with a right hand upstairs in the sixth round of a fast-paced fight that could have gone either way. In the end, they landed the exact same amount of punches, according to CompuBox punch statistics, though Hernandez, who finished the fight with a black and blue right eye, was far more efficient. He landed 286 of 719 punches (40 percent), and Garza connected on 286 of 1,009 (28 percent).
Shohjahon Ergashev TKO3 Sonny Fredrickson
Junior welterweight
Records: Ergashev (12-0, 12 KOs); Fredrickson (18-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Brooklyn-based Uzbekistan native Ergashev, a 26-year-old southpaw and decorated amateur, continued his knockout streak with an impressive performance against Fredrickson in a bout in which both guys were stepping up the level of their opposition. It was Ergashev who passed the test, as he went past the second round for only the second time in his career. It was apparent from the onset that Fredrickson, 23, of Toledo, Ohio, might be in for a rough night, as Ergashev was able to land his straight left hand. He did it virtually at will.
In the third round, one of those left hands staggered Fredrickson and sent him into the ropes. That was the beginning of the end. Although he got a brief respite when referee Benjy Esteves warned Ergashev for pulling Fredrickson down to the mat, it made no difference. Ergashev continued to pound him relentlessly with left hands. Fredrickson's legs were gone, and when Ergashev landed yet another left hand, Esteves moved in and stopped the fight at the 1:58 mark.
The CompuBox stats show just how dominant Ergashev was. He landed 61 punches (all power shots) out of 134 thrown (46 percent), and Fredrickson connected on 31 of 127 (24 percent). Ergashev is certainly a good prospect and an exciting fighter to watch.