Claressa Shields Dominates Lani Daniels to Retain Undisputed Heavyweight Crown in Detroit Showdown
Claressa Shields delivered yet another masterclass performance on Saturday night, defending her undisputed women’s heavyweight title with a dominant unanimous decision victory over New Zealand’s Lani Daniels at Little Caesars Arena in front of a packed crowd of 15,369.
The judges had it clearly in favor of Shields, scoring the bout 100-90, 99-91, 99-91 — a clean sweep that proved once again why she’s known as the GWOAT (Greatest Woman of All Time).
“She was tough,” Shields admitted post-fight. “I landed heavy body shots, then broke her down up top. I mixed it up and gave her everything — but credit to her toughness. I could tell from her previous fights she was going to be hard to break.”
The win pushed Shields’ record to an impressive 17-0 (3 KOs), and it marked the first time since 2022 she’s stepped into the ring twice in a single year. But she’s not slowing down — she's calling out big names and hungry for more legacy-defining battles.
“I’m staying at heavyweight, and I want the biggest fights — Franchon Crews, Che Kenneally, and especially Laila Ali,” said Shields. “We offered $15 million for that fight, and we’re still waiting for a response.”
She added with her signature bravado, “Hopefully she saw what I did tonight and thinks she can take me. I want the best and I want the baddest.”
Back in February, Shields made history by becoming the first boxer ever — male or female — to become undisputed champion in three different weight divisions, following a win over Danielle Perkins at heavyweight in her hometown Flint, Michigan.
Daniels, the reigning IBF light heavyweight champ, entered the bout on a seven-fight win streak and showed her grit in the later rounds. But Shields never let her find a rhythm.
“She was just trying to make it through the rounds,” Shields said. “She came alive around the eighth or ninth, but I still beat her even when I was backed into the ropes.”
Adding a flair of showbiz to the night, rapper Rick Ross accompanied Shields during her ring walk. Early on, Daniels kept moving, avoiding the heavy hands of Shields, leading to a few cheeky exchanges — Shields even taunted Daniels to stand and fight.
By Round 5, Shields took complete control, punishing Daniels with precise body shots and crisp jabs in Rounds 6 and 7. Daniels had some minor success pressing Shields against the ropes in the final rounds, but the queen of women’s boxing countered with ease, firing back with clean power shots.
“These girls are too easy,” Shields said bluntly. “Everyone talks about knockouts, but I’m winning 10 rounds with ease. At 154, no one would fight me. I cleaned out 160, I cleaned out 168 — now I’m running heavyweight.”
In the co-main event, Detroit's own Tony Harrison made his return in style, scoring a unanimous decision win over the Dominican Republic’s Edward Diaz. Back in the ring for the first time since his 2023 loss to Tim Tszyu, Harrison (30-4-1, 21 KOs) outboxed Diaz (15-7, 12 KOs) to seal the win in the 10th round.
Decked out in full Detroit Lions gear, Harrison had the crowd behind him but had to survive a scare in the ninth after getting caught by a solid right hand that briefly dropped him.
“It’s boxing,” Harrison said. “It wasn’t a punch that hurt me. I was a bit off balance. I should’ve done five pushups for that mistake — but I wasn’t hurt. I just got careless.”
Description:
"Claressa Shields remains undefeated and undisputed after a commanding victory over Lani Daniels at Little Caesars Arena. With her record now 17-0, the GWOAT is calling out boxing legends like Laila Ali for the biggest fights yet."