Claressa Shields faces Lani Daniels at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday, July 26. Flint’s three-weight undisputed champion puts her heavyweight belts on the line, making the first defense of her title.
In the lead-up to the event, Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) held a media workout at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York. The Unbeaten 30-year-old showcased her skills and previewed the upcoming bout.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields is opposed by two-weight champion Lani Daniels (11-2-2, 1 KO), who is the current IBF champion at light heavyweight. New Zealand’s 36-year-old looks to pull off an upset and conquer the heavyweight class, having previously held the IBF strap in the division.
“I am super excited to be fighting against another world champion in Lani Daniels,” Claressa Shields said. “She’s very confident, she’s from New Zealand, she wants the smoke, and she and her team are confident that they can come over here and get the upset.”
“I’m always happy to fight at Little Caesars Arena. My team and I are working to make sure we sell this thing out – all 19,000 seats. Last time, I was able to do 12,000 with just me doing my hard work, and now I have a team behind me that wants to do it. I look forward to fighting at LCA and putting on a great show. To me, this is my biggest fight.”
‘Inside the ring, it’s still a mental fight’
“I don’t know how good Lani Daniels is. I’ve seen film, and she’s pretty durable. She’s very, very tough. But after my last fight with Danielle Perkins, I know that I’m the toughest of them all.”
“If I was able to fight Danielle Perkins and drop her in the 10th round… she may not have looked like she was a lot because I’m so great, but Danielle Perkins is highly avoided for a reason. And Lani Daniels didn’t want to fight her for a reason. I stepped up and fought against a bigger and stronger woman who had just as much experience as me, and we put on a great show.”
“I’m super excited to fight in Detroit. A woman boxer being able to fight in front of 12,000 people is great, but 19,000 is even better. I have continued to grow in my stardom and bring more things to women’s boxing than I ever thought I could. To me, this is my biggest fight.”
“I’m working on everything. I’m working on making sure I turn my punches over. I’m gonna hit Lani very, very hard to her face, to her chest, and to her body. I’m working on breaking somebody mentally more than I am working on breaking them physically.”
“Inside the ring, it’s still a mental fight, and I can’t wait to see how tough she is. She seems like she’s very tough, hearing her backstory and everything that she’s been through. But I know that I can do it.”
The Shields vs Daniels undercard bouts are expected to be confirmed shortly.