Michigan’s Claressa Shields to Defend Heavyweight Title at Little Caesars Arena
Claressa Shields is putting her heavyweight title on the line during a hometown showdown against Lani Daniels. Shields, a women’s boxing heavyweight champion, announced on social media on Wednesday, May…
FLINT, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 02: Claressa Shields (R) punches Danielle Perkins during the ninth round of their undisputed heavyweight title bout on February 02, 2025 at Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Claressa Shields is putting her heavyweight title on the line during a hometown showdown against Lani Daniels.
Shields, a women's boxing heavyweight champion, announced on social media on Wednesday, May 7, that she will face Daniels in a July 26 matchup at Little Caesars Arena.
Tickets for the July 26 event went on sale on Friday, May 9. They are available at 313Presents.com and Ticketmaster.com.
According to a CBS News Detroit report, Shields, 30, improved to 16-0 by defeating Danielle Perkins in February in Shields' Flint, Michigan, hometown.
Daniels, 36, of New Zealand, maintains the IBF light heavyweight title. She's won seven straight matches and is 11-2-2 with one knockout.
As a two-time Olympic champion, Shields represents a new era for boxing in the Motor City. Michigan's heritage with the sport extends back to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Thomas Hearns, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and James Toney.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Shields is the first boxer, male or female, who holds three undisputed titles across three different weight classes. She is the first American boxer since 1992 to hold an undisputed heavyweight belt.
Shields is no stranger to success at Little Caesars Arena. In 2024, she secured her first heavyweight win by defeating Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse with a technical knockout in the second round.
“I've fought many places, but there is nowhere like fighting in Detroit or fighting in Flint,” Shields said in February, according to a Detroit Free Press report. “Fighting up in Detroit or Flint, they got the best fans in the world to me.”
