Atif Oberlton had Claressa Shields leading him to the ring on November 7, then went out and won a split decision over Deon Nicholson while fighting most of the night with one good arm.
The 10 round light heavyweight bout was the co-main event of the DAZN card at Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Before a single punch was thrown, DAZN was already posting the moment Shields, the self proclaimed GWOAT, walked out her fighter with gloves in hand.
The walkout was more than a cameo. Shields has been building her own stable through Claressa Shields Promotions, and alongside Wynn Records, the company signed Oberlton along with Troy Isley and Ernesto “Tito” Mercado. Shields has called the group her GWOAT Avengers, and Oberlton is quickly becoming the face of it.
Once the bell rang, the night got complicated. Oberlton injured his left bicep early in the fight, and Fightnews reported the muscle swelled up to the size of a tennis ball by the second round. For a southpaw, losing the lead hand is a serious problem. The jab he uses to control distance was suddenly limited, and he was left to lean heavily on his left for the rest of the fight against a hard hitting opponent.
Nicholson came in with a record of 23 and 2 with 19 knockouts and trains alongside Deontay Wilder. He made Oberlton work for every round. The scorecards showed just how close some saw it. One judge scored it 96 to 94 for Nicholson, while the other two had it 98 to 92 for Oberlton, giving him the split decision.
Even hurt, Oberlton landed more power shots and looked like the more accurate fighter.
“I hurt my bicep in the first round, so I had to figure out how to win with one hand,” Oberlton said after the fight. “I still had to fight the rest of that fight, and I still got the victory. I think I did a hell of a job with one hand. If he wants a rematch, I’ll give him one with two arms.”
Made to order and shipped to your door.
The win moves the Philadelphia native to 18 and 0 with 14 knockouts. It was his second straight fight going the full 10 rounds after he won a shutout decision over Roamer Alexis Angulo in August, which came after a run of eight straight stoppages.
Shields has had a front row seat to his rise. Back in February, Oberlton fought in the co-main event on her own card at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, scoring a first round stoppage of Joseph George Jr. the same night Shields retained her undisputed heavyweight crown against Franchon Crews Dezurn. After that fight, promoter Dmitriy Salita called Oberlton a superstar in the making and pointed to his walkout and personality as the things that jump through the screen.
Saturday’s walkout put that on full display, with the GWOAT herself setting the stage.
Before this fight, Oberlton made it clear he is chasing a light heavyweight world title shot. The bicep injury is the big question now. How serious it is will decide how soon he can get back in the ring and how quickly that title opportunity comes. What is already clear is that he showed something the knockouts never could: he can get hurt, adjust, and still win.
