Shields to vacate light heavyweight title

According to BoxingScene.com, newly crowned undisputed women’s heavyweight boxing champion, Claressa Shields is vacating her WBO light heavyweight title.

Shields made to decide on which title to hold on to.

She opted to hold onto her heavyweight title.

WBO President Gustavo Olivieri announced that news.

“Per our rules, no WBO champion may hold titles in two different weight divisions simultaneously,” Olivieri posted on social media.

Shields won the vacant WBO heavyweight title and a couple of other vacant belts to become the undisputed heavyweight champion on Feb. 2 against Danielle Perkins.

The Flint, Mich. native moved to 16-0 (3 KOs) and added to a career that has included becoming undisputed twice at the middleweight level and once at the junior middleweight level.

She also won titles at 168 pounds and 175 pounds.

Shields won the WBO’s vacant light heavyweight title – alongside the WBC’s heavyweight title, which confusingly is for women who weigh more than 168 pounds – with her July 2024 win over Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.

The athletic commission of Michigan says that Shields tested positive for marijuana use after the bout against Perkins. Shields said she has never used marijuana.

She suggested that the positive test could have been caused by secondhand smoke in the arena or contact with other people on fight night.

Shields has since appealed the suspension.