Undisputed female middleweight champion Claressa Shields is gearing up for her first title defense in the division. The Olympic medalist won the status of the undisputed champion after beating Savannah Marshall last October. Shields is set to fight Hanna Gabriels at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and defend her titles. The fight was announced last month but was not received well by fans who called Shields out for cherry-picking her opponent.

However, this won’t be an easy task as Gabriels is the only fighter to have knocked Shields down during her career. Despite this, she was able to beat the Costa Rican boxer via unanimous decision in their last fight. This fight could be a major turning point in Shields’ career but it seems that the ‘GWOAT’ might be in a different mental state as she recently shared a cryptic tweet ahead of her next fight.

Claressa Shields shares a cryptic tweet ahead of her first title defense

The three-division champion took to Twitter and shared a message that showed a much more human side of her. In the tweet, she claimed that it is okay to be hurt. However, one must keep going on despite this, as time stops for nobody. “It’s ok to be hurt but keep on going. Time stops for no one not even the kind hearts,” she wrote.

This cryptic tweet has certainly added an additional layer of intrigue to the already highly anticipated bout. While it is expected from fighters to not show their emotions it was refreshing to see Shields come out and showcase a much more sensitive side of herself. Shields is known for her confidence and toughness in the ring, but fans will be watching closely to see how she performs on fight night.

Shields gets an undisputed champion to train with ahead of her fight

The undefeated Olympian has joined forces with undisputed super-middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn to train her, as per SkySports. The two are currently training partners and will help each other prepare for their upcoming bouts.

Read More: He’ll Never Have 2 Olympic Gold Medals”: Claressa Shields Claps Back After Being Branded as Canelo Alvarez Hater

Dezurn is also set to compete against Savannah Marshall next month and is currently training with Shields for this bout.

With Shields and Marshall being longtime rivals, this was an interesting opportunity for Dezurn to get some insights into Marshall’s style and techniques. On the other hand, Shields will also benefit from training with an undisputed champion like herself. Moreover, fans can find out if this preparation was worth it when the two get inside the square circle next month.

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