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 the fighters in attendance.

Rapper Kash Doll walked Shields out to the ring, performing along the way — and briefly in the walkout, Shields and Doll faced each other to sing together. It was a Detroit-themed night as The Four Tops performed the national anthem, each wearing a different jersey of Detroit’s four major sports teams.

Shields left her options open for her next opponent but said she will travel to Great Britain next month to attend the undisputed super middleweight title fight between champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn and challenger Savannah Marshall.

Shields has already beaten both opponents — Crews-Dezurn in 2016 in the debut for both fighters and Marshall in her last fight in October — but Marshall has been her toughest fight to date. Shadasia Green, the WBC mandatory challenger for the super middleweight title, is expected to fight the winner of Crews-Dezurn vs. Marshall, but Shields could be another option, especially because of her status in the sport.

“I’m only interested in the best,” Shields said. “I’ll be looking at the fight. I think I’ll go over to the U.K., show my face a little bit.

She added: “Whoever wins, if they want to come meet me here at Little Caesars again, and when all my fans come out and watch me fight, I’m all down for it.”

LAS VEGAS — Iraq’s Amir Albazi picked up a massive win in the UFC’s flyweight division, as he narrowly edged former title challenger Kai Kara-France via split decision at UFC Fight Night on Saturday.

Albazi (17-1) defeated Kara-France (24-11) over the course of five competitive rounds inside the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas. Two judges scored the bout for Albazi 48-47, while a third saw it 48-47 for Kara-France. It’s the biggest win of Albazi’s UFC career. He was ranked No. 7 going into the 125-pound bout while Kara-France was ranked No. 3.

Immediately after results were read, Albazi called for the winner of a flyweight title fight between champion Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja on July 8.

“There is no name,” said Albazi, on what he wants next. “The only thing I want is to get the title. That’s all that matters. (UFC 294 in) Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21. I know they’re going to Abu Dhabi. Whoever wins that (title fight on July 8) I want to be next.”

Originally from Iraq now fighting out of Las Vegas, Albazi improved to 5-0 since debuting with the UFC in 2020. He is known for his finishing ability on the ground, but Kara-France did very well against the takedown, defending eight of nine takedown attempts according to UFC Stats.

In addition to defending the takedown, Kara-France, of New Zealand, out-landed Albazi in total strikes 122 to 65, although Albazi was more efficient with his output. Neither flyweight ever hurt the other, but Albazi landed at a higher percentage and when he did convert a takedown in the third round, he accumulated some control time in top position.

It was a very close fight that could have gone either way. Albazi winning is a massive boost to his title aspirations. Kara-France won three in a row between 2021 and 2022, before coming up short to Moreno in an interim title fight last July. That was Kara-France’s last appearance prior to Saturday. This is the first time he has suffered consecutive losses since 2015.

“I know it was a close fight,” Albazi said. “It’s not how I planned the fight to go. It is what it is. I showed my guts and what I can bring to the table. I can stand with these guys no problem.”

Albazi, 29, has recorded finishes in three of his five wins in the UFC. Moreno (21-6-2) will be seeking his first title defense against Pantoja at UFC 290 next month in Las Vegas. He won the undisputed the championship by defeating Deveison Figueiredo at UFC 283 in January.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Much was expected of Rose Zhang when she turned professional last week, and she is already delivering.

The two-time NCAA champion moved into position to win in her pro debut, shooting a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a 2-shot lead into the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open.

“I’ve been in this position before, but I haven’t been in this position as a professional, since this is my first week, so I’m really just learning everything that I could,” Zhang said. “Tomorrow, I’ll be just trying to figure out what it feels like to be in the final group, navigate my way through, and I’m sure by the end of the day I’ll be able to, you know, just build my character more.”

The former Stanford star had six birdies in a bogey-free round on a raw, overcast day at Liberty National in jumping to the top of the leaderboard. It’s nothing new for the 20-year-old who won 12 of 20 events in her two years in college, with many viewing it as a sign of things to come.

Event 1 is certainly shaping up that way with a day to go, and it could have been better. Zhang settled for a tap-in birdie at the driveable 16th hole after hitting her tee shot within about 5 feet.

Cheyenne Knight, who was tied with Minjee Lee for the halfway lead at 7 under, was tied for second with Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand and Aditi Ashok of India, who both shot 68s. Knight had a 69, making a bogey at No. 17 and missing a 10-footer for birdie on the final hole.

Lee (72) was 7 under in fifth place, a shot ahead of Jennifer Kupcho (69) rookie Hae Ran Ryu (66) and Eun-Hee Ji (70).

Stephanie Kyriacoiu of Australia had the best round of the day, shooting a 65 that included an eagle, six birdies and an early bogey. The 22-year-old was at 5 under along with top-ranked Jin Young Ko (73) and fellow South Korean player Sei Young Kim (70).

They will all have to catch Zhang, who was the No. 1 women’s amateur for 141 weeks. She also is on a roll, having won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this year and her second straight NCAA title last month.

This has been a hectic week for Zhang. Not only did she turn pro, but she has shown a lot of composure on the course and off with the sheer volume of interview requests.

“I still think I’m human so I do feel little small butterflies here and there,” the Irvine, California, resident said. “I’ve been pretty comfortable when I’ve been on the golf course. I’ve been able to tap into my zone and I’ve just been trying to think about how this is the sport that I’ve been playing for the last 10 or so years. I’m just doing what I need to do and going back to what my body knows.”

Seven women have won their first start as a pro on the LPGA Tour since 1992, with Hinako Shibuno of Japan being the last one in the 2019 Women’s British Open.

Knight also has been in her zone looking for her second win on tour and first since 2019. She has been in the top 10 after 36 holes in her past four events.

“I’m excited, but, I mean, yeah, Minjee I think shot 8 under yesterday. Marina [Alex] did, too. It’s out there,” Knight said. “I’m excited to attack, and, yeah, just give myself some chances tomorrow and hopefully they drop.”

Ashok has had only one bogey in three rounds in her search for her first win on this tour.

“I think this golf course especially makes you think a lot,” said Ashok, who has had two top-three finishes in recent weeks. “If you get the right angles and if you play it smart I think it’s easier to not drop shots.”

No. 3 ranked Lydia Ko, who was a shot behind the lead entering the round, and No. 8 ranked Brooke Henderson, who was 2 shots off the pace, finished at 1-under. Ko shot 77 and Henderson 76.

LAS VEGAS — Zach Whitecloud scored from long range with just over 13 minutes left, after Adin Hill made arguably the best save of the playoffs, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Whitecloud’s goal put Vegas ahead, a crucial penalty kill followed and captain Mark Stone scored an insurance goal that was reviewed for a high stick and confirmed. That combination, plus Hill’s 31 saves, gave Vegas the lead in the series after a feisty opener between Sun Belt teams who wasted little time getting acquainted with big hits during play and plenty of post-whistle pushing and shoving.

Original Knights players Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore also scored on Florida’s two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky.

Back in the final, they’ll now try to avoid the same result as in 2018, when Vegas beat Washington in Game 1 and lost the next four to fall short of hoisting the Cup in its inaugural season.

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Panthers, who breezed past the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2 before sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes last week.

Florida also lost a road game for the first time since Round 1, when the Panthers upset the Boston Bruins.

Game 2 is Monday in Las Vegas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES — Aaron Judge delivered with his bat and his glove Saturday to help propel the New York Yankees, hitting his 19th homer and later making a spectacular running catch at the fence in a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Judge, the reigning AL MVP, put a line drive into the short left-field porch in the sixth inning for the Yankees, who rebounded from an 8-4 loss Friday night in the opener of the high-profile interleague series.

The homer, off Dodgers reliever Shelby Miller, traveled only 360 feet, but Judge’s 113.7 mph line drive got into the low stands before left fielder David Peralta could attempt to make a play on it.

Then in the eighth, Judge might have saved a run for the Yankees with his sprinting catch on J.D. Martinez‘s liner into the right field corner with Max Muncy on first base and nobody out. Judge made the catch an instant before running into the bullpen door, which came partly open when he hit it.

Judge hung onto the ball and stayed upright while putting one foot in the bullpen, but Muncy was allowed to advance to second apparently because Judge technically left the field of play. Yankees manager Aaron Boone briefly argued the umpires’ decision to send Muncy to second.

The Yankees led 5-3 at the time of Judge’s catch, and reliever Michael King retired the Dodgers’ next two batters to send this high-profile interleague matchup to the ninth inning.

Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-0) was sharp back in his native Southern California, striking out five with two walks and only allowing a run on David Peralta’s bloop RBI single. He was pulled after a season-low 80 pitches, apparently due to cramping.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LAS VEGAS — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman remains bullish on finding a solution to keep the Coyotes in Arizona, saying the league is “hopeful” it won’t lose the “terrific market.”

On the eve of the Stanley Cup Final, Bettman addressed the uncertain future of the Coyotes yet again, two weeks after the team’s $2.1 billion Tempe arena plan was rejected by voters.

“The Coyotes are exploring their options in the greater Phoenix area, and our hope is that one of those options being explored will come to fruition,” Bettman said.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the league has talked with Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, who hopes to bring an NHL team to Salt Lake City. Bettman said that expansion is currently not a top priority for the NHL, and he’s hopeful to avoid relocation.

“We’re in a better position to resist leaving than maybe we were 20 or 30 years ago,” Bettman said, adding that he hasn’t “prejudged any markets if we were going to add or relocate teams.”

Bettman says he remains committed to keeping a team in Arizona because of how large and growing the market is, and believes the team has been put in “unfortunate” situations, having also been “victim to circumstance.”

Newly appointed NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said he has met with Bettman to address players many concerns about the situation, including sub-par conditions at their temporary home at Arizona State University’s Mullet Arena. The NHL has said the Coyotes will play at the 5,000-seat venue again in the 2023-24 season.

“I’d love to know, by beginning of the season what the plan is for next year,” Walsh said. “If we don’t have in the near future a new location, we have to have a serious location. These players can’t continue to play in a college hockey arena as NHL players. They just can’t do it. It doesn’t look right, it doesn’t feel right.”

Bettman broached several other topics as well:

* Bettman said it is “likely” that the salary cap will only rise by $1 million this offseason as the players continue to pay off COVID-19 pandemic revenue losses. The NHLPA and Bettman met recently on the topic; players and teams were hopeful that the 2023-24 season could see a larger bump. However the collective bargaining agreement signed by players in 2020 capped escrow at six percent. Walsh said the payers do not have an appetite to change the escrow, which will necessitate yet another small increase.

Bettman said the larger, more regular, increase is “overwhelmingly likely” for 2024-25. Bettman said there were “still beans to count” but the projections for hockey related revenue for this season is $6 billion, which is encouraging but not enough to allow teams to increase spending significantly.

* There was no update on the Ottawa Senators sale. Bettman said all four groups who submitted bids on May 15 remain in the mix, and the league expects a “good outcome in the next few weeks.”

“Buying a billion dollar asset isn’t the same as buying a new car,” Bettman said in regards to why the process is still taking time.

* Bettman said former Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville and general manager Stan Bowman have independently requested meetings to discuss re-instatement into the league. The commissioner said he will schedule them after the Stanley Cup final. Bettman said neither man is currently eligible to work for an NHL team following their involvement in the Blackhawks’ handling of sexual assault allegations in 2010 from former player Kyle Beach against the team’s video coach, Brad Aldrich.

* Some NHL teams have expressed interest in staging a game in Mexico. The league has done “exploratory research” but Bettman doesn’t think it will happen in the “very short term” because of logistical hurdles, including with facilities.

* The NHL is not investigating the incident regarding Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin. Daly said the league knows “exactly what happened” and believes it was handled “appropriately” by the Avalanche. Nichushkin left the team’s playoff series in Seattle after a woman was found intoxicated in his hotel room and needed to be transported for medical attention.

* The NHL’s independent investigator completed its investigation into the Canadian 2018 World Junior team. London, Ontario police are also investigation allegations that five members of that team — some who are currently in the NHL — sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel room following a team gala. The NHL’s independent investigator is preparing a report, which is expected in early summer.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Two-time NCAA champion Rose Zhang moved into position to win in her professional debut, shooting a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a 2-shot lead into the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open.

The former Stanford star had six birdies in a bogey-free round on a raw, overcast day at Liberty National in jumping to the top of the leaderboard. It’s nothing new for the 20-year-old from California who won 12 of 20 events in her two years in college, with many viewing it as a sign of things to come.

Event 1 is certainly shaping up that way with one day to go, and it could have been better. Zhang settled for a tap-in birdie at the drivable 16th hole after hitting her tee shot within about 5 feet.

Cheyenne Knight, who was tied with Minjee Lee for the halfway lead at 7 under, was tied for second with Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand and Aditi Ashok of India, who both shot 68s. Knight had a 69, making a bogey at No. 17 and missing a 10-footer for birdie on the final hole.

Lee (72) was 7 under in fifth place, a shot ahead of Jennifer Kupcho (69), rookie Hae Ran Ryu (66) and Eun-Hee Ji (70).

Stephanie Kyriacoiu of Australia had the best round of the day, shooting a 65 that included an eagle, six birdies and an early bogey. The 22-year-old was at 5 under along with top-ranked Jin Young Ko (73) and fellow South Korean player Sei Young Kim (70).

No. 3 ranked Lydia Ko, who was a shot behind the lead entering the round, and No. 8-ranked Brooke Henderson, who was 2 shots off the pace, finished at 1 under. Ko shot 77, and Henderson 76.

NHL reveals ‘unprecedented’ twin bill of outdoor games in N.J.

The 2024 NHL Stadium Series will be held at MetLife Stadium in February as a two-day event featuring four rivals, the league announced Saturday. The Devils will host the Flyers to open it, followed by the Islanders hosting the Rangers a day later.

The 2024 NHL Stadium Series will be held at MetLife Stadium in February as a two-day event featuring four rival teams, the league announced on Saturday.

The New Jersey Devils will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, Feb. 17, in an outdoor night game. The New York Islanders will host the New York Rangers on Sunday, Feb. 18, at a time yet to be determined.

The Rangers had to be designated as the road team against the Islanders because of their Madison Square Garden lease agreement, which forbids them from playing a home game anywhere but MSG.

The event will mark the first time four NHL teams have played outdoor games at the same venue in front of fans. The games will be broadcast on ESPN.

The Stadium Series event joins a 2023-24 season NHL outdoor game schedule that includes the Heritage Classic between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 29 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, and the NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2024, between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

Initially, the NHL’s plan for MetLife Stadium was to have the Rangers face the Devils in a single game between the archrivals, who met in the Stanley Cup playoffs this postseason.

“There’s been many iterations of what we wanted to do here. But when we started getting into the matchups, the game, the tri-state area and the great hockey that’s being played in the New York area, we felt this would be unique and a way to keep our outdoor games fresh,” Steve Mayer, NHL chief content officer and senior executive vice president, said.

“Obviously, the goal is to continue our incredible streak of 37 straight sellouts [in outdoor games], and we really feel very confident that these two matchups will fill two buildings, two days in a row, which for us will be unprecedented.”

The capacity for the two MetLife games is something the NHL is still determining. The NHL said that MetLife Stadium will be undergoing some renovation next offseason in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Soccer that will impact some of the low-level sideline seating.

“We will be losing a few seats due to that,” said Dean Matsuzaki, NHL executive vice president of events.

The NHL anticipates attendance will be over 75,000 for each game. Currently, the third-largest crowd for an outdoor game was 76,126 for the 2019 Winter Classic at the University of Notre Dame.

MetLife Stadium is home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets and is located minutes from New York City. But Mayer said the plan is to emphasize that the games are being held in New Jersey, despite the presence of the New York teams.

“We’re going to get super creative. We’re going to highlight. It’s our goal that when somebody tunes in to watch this, they know we’re playing in New Jersey. We’re going to look at all the things that New Jersey area has to offer,” Mayer said, adding that the league plans to “lean into the music scene with some of those typical names” associated with the state.

“When it comes to entertainment, which we always focus on, and I think we’re going to go bigger because of the weekend. We’ll try to do something in between games, after games and before games that really celebrates not only hockey, but the music of the area as well,” Mayer said.

This is the sixth regular-season outdoor game for the Flyers, who are 1-3-1 in those events. Philadelphia last played outdoors in February 2021 against the Boston Bruins in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The Rangers are playing their fifth outdoor game, having gone 4-0-0. Their most recent outdoor game was the 2018 Winter Classic at New York City’s Citi Field. The Devils (0-1-0) and Islanders (0-1-0) are both playing their second outdoor game, having both lost to the Rangers at Yankee Stadium in 2014.

Phoenix Suns associate head coach Kevin Young is staying with the franchise on a new deal worth more than $2 million annually that’ll make him the NBA’s highest-paid assistant coach, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

The Suns were determined to keep Young on new coach Frank Vogel’s staff and made a significant commitment to keep him from following former coach Monty Williams to the Detroit Pistons, sources said.

Young has become one of the league’s top assistant coaches and was one of the three finalists for the job that Vogel eventually landed on Friday. Young has a strong relationship with Suns star Devin Booker and had a great deal of support within the organization to be retained with Vogel.

Vogel is finalizing a five-year deal to become the franchise’s new head coach.

Young spent eight years coaching in the G League — including head-coaching jobs with the Utah Flash, Iowa Energy and Delaware 87ers — and gained momentum as a head-coaching candidate in openings this year, including with the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets and Suns. Young previously interviewed for head-coaching jobs with the Sixers, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards in recent seasons.