Claressa Shields passes another test to reach women’s boxing final

Reporting from Rio de Janeiro — Boxer Claressa Shields, an honor roll student in high school, has been grading her fights at the Rio Olympics. And Friday she said she aced her assignment, winning a unanimous decision over Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova to earn a spot in Sunday’s middleweight final.

“I give it an A-minus, I guess,” said Shields, two full letter grades better than the mark she gave herself in the quarterfinals. “I did great. I went out there and showed my skill and showed my class. I was [the] better, stronger and more-skilled fighter.”

So much so Shields, who dominated from the opening bell, said she actually let up in the final round, when Shakimova was given a standing eight-count.

“I actually could have stopped her but I was having so fun. I was like ‘why do that?’” said Shields, who also earned a standing eight-count in her first fight in Rio. “I decided to go out there and have fun for the rest of the round.”

Shields, who won a gold medal in London as a teenager, is bidding to become the first two-time Olympic champion in U.S. history. She will face Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands in Sunday’s final. The pair met three months in the World Championships with Shields winning a unanimous victory.

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