Claressa Shields Says Her Power 'F--king Shocked Me' After TKO of Lepage-Joanisse

Even Claressa Shields was taken aback with how quickly she dispatched of Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse on Saturday night.

The Flint, Michigan, native made a major statement in Detroit, scoring three quick knockdowns in the second round to earn a TKO victory.

"The newfound power does feel good," she said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "It f--king shocked me. I'm not going to lie."

Shields improved her record to 15-0 and became a joint heavyweight and light heavyweight champion with her win, affirming her status as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Knockouts haven't been a regular feature of the 29-year-old's career, though. This was just the third time she prevailed by knockout or TKO. The last one came in 2017, and her past 10 bouts went the distance.

Moving up weight classes, as Shields did against Lepage-Joanisse can sometimes mean sacrificing punching power. She added 15 pounds of muscle but had to shed five pounds in order to stay under the weight limit (175 pounds).

In her case, Shields may have actually added a new dimension to her offensive repertoire by going up to the heavyweight division. While training for Saturday's event, and her team focused on improving her all-around power.

"Looking at Vanessa in her fights, she pushed girls back because her legs are very strong," she told reporters earlier in the week. "We made sure I have the power in my legs to push her back, and not get pushed back, and also really worked on the strength in my arms."

Shields said after the fight she has "10 days" to choose whether she'll stay in the heavyweight division. The ease with which she overwhelmed Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse could complicate her decision since she'll feel even better about her odds in another potential heavyweight clash.