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Philippines, 18 May 2026 |
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CLARESSA SHIELDS VS. LANI DANIELS PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES PhilBoxing.com Wed, 18 Jun 2025  DETROIT (JUNE 17, 2025) – Ahead of the highly anticipated Claressa Shields vs. Lani Daniels Undisputed Heavyweight Championship, Salita Promotions President Dmitriy Salita, 313 Presents President Howard Handler, and manager of Claressa Shields Mark Taffet all joined the dais alongside the main event fighters in Detroit for a press conference. The GWOAT, Claressa Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) will return home on Saturday, July 26, when she puts her Undisputed Heavyweight World Championship on the line in the main event at Detroit’s premier sports arena Little Caesars Arena against the reigning IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion from New Zealand, Lani Daniels (11-2-2, 1 KO). Shields, the most decorated female boxer in history, made headlines earlier this year by becoming the first woman ever to claim the Undisputed Heavyweight World Championship—and the first boxer, male or female, to achieve undisputed status in three weight divisions. Recently signed to Salita Promotions, Daniels made history of her own when she became the first New Zealand-born fighter to win two world titles, and the first to win world titles in two different divisions when she defeated Desley Robinson in 2023. Shields vs. Daniels will air live on the global home of boxing, DAZN. Notably in attendance, over 50 kids and counselors from the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit joined as their hometown hero took the stage. In recognition for the students’ hard work and dedication in the classroom, Shields graciously announced that over 200 participants from the Downtown Boxing Gym will receive complimentary tickets to her massive event on July 26. Also in attendance, Shields’ boyfriend and professional recording artist Papoose joined the press conference in support of the GWOAT. 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 to American champions. It's very difficult to win it and it's much harder to keep it. The last American heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder, lost a fight not long ago to Joseph Parker. You know where he's from? He's from New Zealand. Hailing from New Zealand, Lani Daniels is the reigning IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion. She’s determined. She’s skilled. She was 2024 New Zealand Sportswoman of the year, and she has nothing to lose and everything to win.” “Across the ring, we have two-time Olympic gold medalist, three-division Undisputed World Champion, and current Undisputed Heavyweight World Champion Claressa Shields making the first defense ever of the women’s heavyweight title, right here in Detroit on July 26 live on DAZN.” “The City of Detroit and the state of Michigan has been home to some of the greatest fighters in the sport. The Joe Louis Fist in Downtown Detroit is one of the symbols of the city. After producing fighters like Tommy Hearns and Floyd Mayweather Jr., there was a standstill in Detroit with no great fighter to carry the city forward. Then came along Claressa Shields.” Claressa Shields: “I’m so happy to be here. I want to give the honor and thank you to God for making this happen. I want to thank Papoose for his support. It means a lot. I fought here in Detroit last year when I knocked out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for the heavyweight title. Never in a million years did I think I would be fighting at heavyweight. I remember when it was first announced last year that I would be competing at heavyweight, it got a really big buzz. That’s when I took notice of all the other fighters at heavyweight for me to face.” “The girls at the heavyweight division are not afraid of me, which is good because the girls who were a little bit smaller were intimidated. Now at heavyweight, I am getting the bigger fights I want. I’m coming off a victory against an opponent who was highly avoided from everyone in the heavyweight division in Danielle Perkins. The only person who didn’t avoid Danielle Perkins was me. I went in there and whooped Danielle Perkins.” “At first, I thought this fight wasn’t going to be made. I got an email from my manager Mark Taffet, and he said she didn’t want to fight. So, I DM’d Daniels asking if she was scared of me. She said she was a little scared of me, but she can beat me.” “I don’t think there’s a woman in the world that could beat me.” Lani Daniels: “We welcome everyone who came along to support this fight. It’s honor and a privilege to be here. I’d like 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 are planning to come here next month and win. I’ve been preparing the best I can to give a mean fight. I know it’s going to be a mean fight.” John Conway, Daniels’ trainer: “I’ve been training Lani Daniels for a while. Since she was an amateur. I always knew she was going to be a great fighter.” “I’m standing next to world’s best women’s boxer in Claressa Shields. This is the American Dream, and we’re living it. Three years ago, Lani was retired and now we are here. But we’re taking a step further by winning this fight. We are going to come at Shields with different techniques. I have a Muay Thai background, so our punches will have different timing and angles.” “I’ve watched some of the girls who have fought Shields, and most of them were not up to the level to box you. So, we’re not going to box you, we’re going to fight you in a Muay Thai style. This is how we are going to win, and we are going to take home the belts and the American Dream.” Howard Handler: “It’s great to have everybody at Little Caesars Arena as Detroit's premier live entertainment company. 313 Presents is extraordinarily proud to partner with Salita Promotions to bring the GWOAT back to Detroit. This is quickly becoming Claressa's house, and we're excited to have a third fight. Claressa defended her title in June of 2023 here. She is truly carrying women’s boxing on her shoulders and bringing it back to Detroit.” Mark Taffet: “In 2016 after winning her second Olympic gold medal, I met then 21-year-old Claressa Shields. She told me her goal was to be greatest female fighter ever. I said, like Charles Atlas carrying the globe, she was going to carry women’s boxing on her shoulders to heights never imagined. She smiled and just said, let’s go.”  |
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