| DETROIT – June 12, 2024 – Undisputed Middleweight World Champion and boxing superstar Claressa “GWOAT” Shields of Flint, Mich., held a media workout in Detroit yesterday to discuss her Saturday, July 27, rise of two weight classes to challenge for a world title in a fourth division against WBC Women’s Heavyweight World Champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse of Quebec, Canada. The vacant WBO Light Heavyweight Championship will also be on the line on July 27, as both main event fighters aim to unify 175-pound titles in a very special edition of “Big Time Boxing USA” at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit that will air live on premier global sports platform DAZN. Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) and Lepage-Joanisse (7-1, 2 KOs) will headline a blockbuster night of boxing presented by Salita Promotions and 313 Presents at downtown Detroit’s world-class venue and home of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons. Tickets for the July 27 event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the XFINITY Box Office at Little Caesars Arena. Here is what Shields and her promoter, Dmitriy Salita, had to say today from the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit: CLARESSA SHIELDS “I feel like some things only happen once in a lifetime, and so I’m happy that Little Caesars Arena has given me the opportunity again. To be given the opportunity here in Detroit at one of the biggest venues here, I feel honored and privileged and humbled. I just can’t wait to show what I can do at heavyweight, represent Detroit and Michigan and Flint, and keep bringing Big Time Boxing back to Detroit.” “I want to go down in history as the ‘Beyonce of Boxing;’ the ‘Serena Williams of Boxing.’ I feel like I’m unstoppable when it comes to a fight and there’s always going to be fireworks, because it they (her opponents) don’t start the party, I will.” “Regardless of the weight class, I haven’t seen any girl be tough enough, be skilled enough, defensively or offensively, to beat me. I’m willing to go wherever I need to go to give all these girls a chance, so I can keep proving them wrong. You guys have got the tapes, you’ve been studying me all these years, and you still can’t beat me.” On Also Fighting in MMA: “I think what makes me so powerful within this combat sport is that I always think positive. I prepare as best I can, I get in there and I fight, and I win. I don’t really think about all the bad things that could happen to me, because that can disrupt what I’m trying to do. I think about being a bad person and doing those bad things.” DMITRIY SALITA On why Shields chose to fight Joanisse: “If you look at the great boxing champions from the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit, people like Floyd Mayweather, Tommy Hearns, they took on the biggest and the best challengers. That is what Claressa is doing, too.” “She’s also bringing boxing back to Detroit. This will be her second show at Little Caesars Arena, which is one of the most beautiful venues for boxing in the United States.” “Some athletes, when you see them on TV, seem unreal. Claressa is real. She lives just 30 miles away from Detroit. She’s Michigan-made and has a really incredible story. And in today’s day and age, when women’s empowerment is at the forefront, Claressa is at the head driving that message.” (Media Note: The 175-pound weight limit is titled heavyweight by the WBC and Light Heavyweight by the WBO.) # # # About Salita Promotions Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including SHOWTIME, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe. Check the Salita Promotions YOUTUBE CHANNEL for regular updates of the modern world’s greatest fighters, contenders and prospects in action. About 313 Presents 313 Presents is Detroit’s premier live entertainment company. Inspired by the soul of Detroit, 313 Presents promotes and produces concerts, theatrical productions, sporting events and family shows at six world-class venues across southeast Michigan including Little Caesars Arena, the historic Fox Theatre featuring Proud Partner Comerica Bank, Comerica Park, Pine Knob Music Theatre Presented by Proud Partners United Wholesale Mortgage, Trinity Health and Ally, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre Presented by Proud Partner Oakland University Credit Union and Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre. Headquartered in The District Detroit, 313 Presents is a joint venture between Ilitch Sports + Entertainment and Pistons Sports & Entertainment. For additional information, visit 313Presents.com. About DAZN Group DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK. Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC. DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F. DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans. DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN. DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to ground-breaking rights catalogue and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including Playstation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland. DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com. |