Shields outpoints Perkins to win 1st undisputed heavyweight bout in women's boxing

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Claressa Shields unanimously outpointed Danielle Perkins on Sunday night in the first undisputed heavyweight bout in women’s boxing to remain undefeated.

Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with titles in five divisions, was in control of the fight from the start. She knocked down Perkins, landing a right hand on her chin with 15 seconds left in the 10th and final round.

The 29-year-old Shields improved to 16-0 with three knockouts.

“I want a rematch with Hanna Gabriels,” she said.

The 42-year-old Perkins, who led St. John’s basketball team in blocked shots two decades ago, won her first five fights before losing to Shields.

Perkins, weighing 177-plus pounds and standing at 6 foot, was a few inches taller and a few inches heavier than Shields.

She took some of Shields' best shots early in the bout, hitting the canvas only when the referee pushed her when separating the fighters in the third round. After both boxers faded in the middle rounds, Shields closed the seventh with a flurry of punches.

Shields won gold medals at 165 pounds at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, making her the first boxer from the United States to win consecutive Olympic medals.

The powerful puncher looks at home in the 200-pound division, though also did at 175, 168, 160 and 154 pounds.

Shields knocked out WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse last summer in front of about 12,000 people at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, where the Red Wings play.

Shields took latest next fight to the home of the Ontario Hockey League's Flint Firebirds in an arena with about 6,000 seats and a floor filled with fans in folding chairs.

She said the bout could have been been New York, adding there was almost a deal with Barclays Center, Las Vegas in the Motor City.

It was important to Shields, though, to bring the first undisputed heavyweight bout in women's boxing history to her resilient hometown that was featured in the movie " The Fire Inside,” based on her life.

In the co-main event, Brandon Moore (17-1) won the vacant USBA heavyweight title after Skylar Lacy (8-1) was disqualified in the eighth round for unsportsmanlike conduct. Lacy used his left shoulder to drive Moore back and out of the ring and onto a table commentators were using for streaming service DAZN.

Shields, an advocate for women in boxing, was proud to push for females to be featured in four of the 10 fights in Flint.

Ashleyann Lozada Motta, who became the first Olympic women's boxer from Puerto Rico at the 2024 Paris Games, made his professional debut and won a unanimous decision in a feisty, four-round fight against Denise Moran (3-1).

Follow Larry Lage at  https://apnews.com/author/larry-lage

AP Boxing: https://apnews.com/hub/boxing

Claressa Shields, left, celebrates after defeating Danielle Perkins during the undisputed heavyweight title match on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Dort Financial Center in Flint. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

Claressa Shields, left, fights with Danielle Perkins during the undisputed heavyweight title match on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Dort Financial Center in Flint. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

Claressa Shields, right, exchanges punches with Danielle Perkins during the undisputed heavyweight title match on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Dort Financial Center in Flint. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

Claressa Shields captures the undisputed heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Danielle Perkins on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Dort Financial Center in Flint. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

FILE - Middleweight champion Claressa Shields celebrates after defeating reigning WBC women's heavyweight boxing champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse of Quebec during a fight, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.

But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”

U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.

The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.

Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.

Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.

Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”

About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.

The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.

Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.

Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”

Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)