View full sizeRyan Garza | MLive.com
Claressa Shields, 17, of Flint, watches the action in the ring as she puts on her protective padding before sparring with the guys at Berston Field House in Flint.
CORNWALL, Ontario – The first taste of international competition was a piece of cake for local boxer Claressa Shields.
The 17-year-old, Flint native won the 75-kilogram title on Saturday night in the American Boxing Confederation's Women's Elite Continental Championships.
She outpointed Canada's three-time world champion Mary Spencer, 27-14.
"I think that Claressa fought a great fight, and at the same time, I think you learn more from a loss than you do a win," Spencer told thestar.com after the loss. "It's been over a year since I've had a loss and it's about time that I had a learning experience like this. So it's good for me at this point of the game — before the worlds and before the Olympics — to get that loss under my belt."
Shields advanced to the finals after beating Brazil's Roseli Feitosa, 29-11, on Friday.