Claressa Shields retains title in one-sided win over Maricela Cornejo - ESPN

Claressa Shields returned to her home state of Michigan and left the same way she went in — as the undefeated, undisputed middleweight champion of the world.

Shields beat challenger Maricela Cornejo by unanimous decision at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena on Saturday night, dominating from start to finish. The judges scored the bout 100-89, 100-90 and 100-90.

«I felt great, landed my shots,» Shields said in the ring after the fight. «I won every round. Got to do what I could.… I went for the knockout I don't know how many times in the fight. Maricela was just tough.»

Shields landed massive punches every round, including one that caught Cornejo square in the face and appeared to stagger the challenger, who took the fight on less than two weeks' notice.

Shields (14-0, 2 KO), from Flint, Michigan, was supposed to fight Hanna Gabriels, the only fighter to knock Shields down in her pro career, but Gabriels tested positive for a banned substance and Cornejo stepped in to replace her. It showed.

Cornejo (16-6, 6 KO) absorbed the many power punches Shields threw throughout the fight but very rarely landed her own.

«It was like, I could land most of my shots, but some of them were curving that landed pretty good also,» Shields said. «But the straight rights were money, and when I would hit her and hurt her, she would just take off.

»I let her out to the right too many times, so we'll work on that when I get back to the gym."

Saturday's bout was the culmination of a big night for Shields, who wanted to take championship-level boxing back to Detroit, once one of the biggest cities for the sport in the United States. Undisputed junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner, who will defend her titles in Detroit next month, was among