Claressa Shields passes another test to reach women’s boxing final

Boxer Claressa Shields, an honor roll student in high school, has been grading her fights at the Rio Olympics. And Friday she said she aced her assignment, winning a unanimous decision over Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova to earn a spot in Sunday’s middleweight final.

“I give it an A-minus, I guess,” said Shields, two full letter grades better than the mark she gave herself in the quarterfinals. “I did great. I went out there and showed my skill and showed my class. I was [the] better, stronger and more-skilled fighter.”

So much so Shields, who dominated from the opening bell, said she actually let up in the final round, when Shakimova was given a standing eight-count.

“I actually could have stopped her but I was having so fun. I was like ‘why do that?’” said Shields, who also earned a standing eight-count in her first fight in Rio. “I decided to go out there and have fun for the rest of the round.”

Shields, who won a gold medal in London as a teenager, is bidding to become the first two-time Olympic champion in U.S. history. She will face Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands in Sunday’s final. The pair met three months in the World Championships with Shields winning a unanimous victory.

kevin.baxter@latimes.com