On July 26, Claressa Shields will defend her undisputed heavyweight championship against New Zealand’s Lani Daniels.
At a press conference in Detroit, Michigan, United States, to promote the Shields vs. Daniels fight, there was Motor City acceleration.
In attendance were Dmitriy Salita, president of Salita Promotions, Howard Hadler, president of 313 Presents, and Shields’ manager, Mark Taffet.
Fifty children and counselors from Detroit’s Downtown Boxing Gym were also in attendance. In appreciation of their efforts and hard work at the gym, Shields announced that she will give away 200 tickets to Detroit’s Downtown Boxing Gym for her fight on July 26.
Dmitriy Salita:
“Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Claressa Shields. The undisputed heavyweight world title has always been linked to American greatness and American champions. It is very difficult to win, and even more difficult to keep.
“On the one side of the ring, we will have two-time Olympic gold medalist, undisputed world champion in three divisions, and current undisputed heavyweight world champion Claressa Shields making her first defence of the women’s heavyweight title, right here in Detroit on July 26, live on DAZN.”
Claressa Shields:
“I’m very happy to be here. I want to honor and thank God for making this possible. I want to thank Papoose for his support. It means a lot to me. I fought here in Detroit last year when I knocked out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for the heavyweight title.
“The girls in the heavyweight division aren’t afraid of me, which is good because the ones who were a little smaller were intimidated. Now at heavyweight, I’m getting the biggest fights I want. I’m coming off a win against an opponent that everyone in the heavyweight division was avoiding: Danielle Perkins. The only one who didn’t avoid her was me. I went in and beat her up. I don’t think there’s a woman in the world who can beat me.”
Lani Daniels:
“We welcome everyone who came out to support this fight. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here. I want to thank Salita Promotions and Mark Taffet. Thank you, Claressa, for agreeing to fight me.
“Everyone knows who Claressa is, and it’s an honor to share the ring with her. My team and I respect boxing, and we respect you. We plan to come here next month and win. I’ve been preparing as best I can to put on an incredible fight. I know it will be an incredible fight.”
HOWARD HANDLER:
“It’s fantastic to have everyone at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit’s premier live entertainment venue. 313 Presents is extremely proud to partner with Salita Promotions to bring the GWOAT back to Detroit. This event is quickly becoming Claressa’s home, and we are excited to have a third fight. Claressa defended her title here in June 2023. She is truly carrying women’s boxing on her shoulders and bringing it back to Detroit.”
MARCOS TAFFET:
“In 2016, after winning her second Olympic gold medal, I met Claressa Shields, who was 21 at the time. She told me her goal was to be the greatest female boxer in history. I told her that, like Charles Atlas carrying the globe, she would carry women’s boxing on her shoulders to heights never imagined. She smiled and simply said, ‘Let’s go.’”
