Women’s Boxing Gets its Platform as Taylor and Shields Turn Pro

Two Olympic Gold Medalists will turn pro starting in November.

Claressa Shields will make her pro debut in Las Vegas November 19th on the preliminary card of the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev fight card.

The 21 year old Flint, Michigan native is the only woman to wins golds in back to back Olympics in boxing.

Her opponent is yet to be announced. The fight is expected to air on HBO November 19th.

Ireland’s Katie Taylor also announced she will begin her rise in the pro boxing ranks. Taylor will fight November 26th in London, England, which will air on Sky Sports, then will make a quick turnaround as she fights on the Anthony Joshua undercard in Manchester, England, which will air on Showtime. Opponents for both fights are yet to be announced.

Taylor won the 60 kg boxing gold medal in 2012, but came up short at the Olympics this past year.

The timing for Shields and Taylor comes as Showtime has announced they will bring women’s boxing into the spotlight starting in spring 2017.

Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president of Showtime Sports. stated they will be looking to focus on the women’s divisions, with an all female fight card possible no later than May. It has been seven years since Showtime has held a female bout, seeing Melissa Hernandez defeating Jeri Sitzes.

The network has been in talks with Heather Hardy and the Serrano sister, Amanda and Cindy. Amanda recently made history gaining her fourth world title in a fourth weight class, only the second woman to do so.

Layla McCarter has also thrown her hat in the ring, wanting to face world champion and pound for pound best boxer Cecilia Braekhus.

There is no lack of depth in boxing as several female pugilists have asked for their shot under the big lights and in front of the camera.

Showtime will announce matches in the coming months as the Taylor fight could be the first to kick off the women’s boxing revolution in 2017.