Claressa Shields will look to make more combat sports history when she competes in another boxing match in Detroit in July.
Shields, an Olympic gold medalist from Flint and current undefeated middleweight champion, will move up two weight classes to challenge Quebec's Vanessa Lepage-Joanis for the WBC women's heavyweight championship on July 27 at Little Caesars Arena. The vacant WBO light heavyweight title will also be on the line.
The WBO light heavyweight and WBC heavyweight belts both represent the 175-pound weight class in their respective boxing organizations.
The bout will be the main event of sports streaming platform DAZN's “Big Time Boxing USA” event, and tickets are on sale now.
Shields' most recent fight was also at the LCA in June 2023, where she defended her middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Marisela Cornejo in a 10-round bout. Shields also won an MMA bout as part of the PFL league in February, but this will mark her return to the sport where she built her reputation.
“The Queen of Boxing is back! I am excited to return to the ring since my MMA victory in February,” Shields said in a statement. “I am excited to have another entertaining fight at Little Caesars Arena. Last time, 12,000 fans packed the arena, and this time I know the crowd will be going wild! This is a significant and unique fight as I take on a very tough champion two weight classes above me in my quest to become a world champion in my fourth weight class.”
Shields (14-0) is looking to add to an already illustrious career. She is the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO middleweight champion and is the only female boxer in history to be an undefeated champion in two weight classes simultaneously after winning the light middleweight belt in 2021. She also won the WBC and IBC super middleweight belts in 2017.
“This is an exciting time for women's sport and I'm grateful to DAZN for providing a global platform for women's boxing,” Shields continued in the statement. “I plan to bring what I do best – the GWOAT energy – and continue to put women's boxing on the map.”
She will take on Lepage-Joanis (7-1), who recently defeated Abril Argentina Vidal by unanimous decision in March to successfully challenge for the heavyweight belt. Lepage-Joanis began her professional career in 2016 but took a six-year hiatus before returning in 2023 and returning to the top of her division a year later. This will be Lepage-Joanis' first title defense.
“For me, it doesn't matter if it's Claressa or anyone else. My life is full of challenges,” Lepage-Joannis said in a statement. “I have always faced challenges head-on and I will continue to do so.”
This will be Shields' second bout at the LCA after making history last year when he competed in the first-ever boxing match at the home stadium of the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons.
“313 Presents, Detroit's premier live entertainment company, is excited to partner with Sarita Promotions (Shields' promoters) to bring boxing back to Little Caesars Arena,” 313 Presents president Howard Handler said in a statement. “Detroit boxing has a rich history of producing and developing numerous champions, and last year's event was monumental in further building on the incredible entertainment and lively moments we bring to our world-class venue. Claressa Shields has proven she can pack a punch as well as a crowd, and July 27th promises to be another action-packed night of boxing.”
