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Claressa Shields responds to first professional loss: ‘It continues to show us what we need to work on’

Claressa Shields is turning a loss into a lesson. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and multi-time boxing champion suffered the first defeat of her professional fighting career at the 2021 PFL World Championship finale on Wednesday night.

Shields lost a split decision to Abigail Montes, who utilized a wrestling-heavy strategy to avoid most of the right hands being thrown by her opponent. The 21-year-old did have her work cut out for her though, as Shields showed signs of improvement in her wrestling defense, but they were not enough to overcome her disadvantage on the ground. Montes secured takedowns in the second and third rounds of the fight and controlled Shields from top position.