DETROIT (June 20, 2024) – Current Unified Middleweight World Champion and now promoter, Claressa Shields, proudly announces T-Rex Promotions has signed its first fighter, WBO #6 and IBF #4 ranked Super Lightweight World Champion Samantha Worthington to a co-promotional contract with Salita Promotions.
Shields and Dmitriy Salita have Worthington slated to make her first appearance under the T-Rex banner on Saturday, July 27, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, when Shields headlines against Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse, the reigning WBC Heavyweight World Champion. Shields vs. Joanisse is the main event of a special edition of Salita Promotion’s “Big Time Boxing USA,” airing live on premium global streaming platform DAZN.
Before turning professional in 2019, Worthington fought on Team USA alongside Shields where she not only honed her skills in the ring but was also exposed to the highest levels of competition through representing her country on an international stage.
From Folsom, Calif., via Lexington, Ky., Worthington finished her impressive amateur career with 36 wins (14 losses), including five national championships, a bronze at the Youth World Championships, and a fifth-place finish at the Olympic Trials for the 2016 Olympics. Thus far as a pro, Worthington has gone undefeated at 8-0, 6 KOs and was last seen winning her Universal Boxing Organization Super Lightweight Championship by scoring a near-shutout unanimous decision over Yazmin Rivas in front of her home-state fans in Kentucky last January.
Worthington currently trains under the guidance of Mike Guy in El Dorado Hills, as well as with head coach Monyette Flowers in Tampa, FL.
“Fighting on the same card as the GWOAT, Claressa Shields feels like a dream come true,” admitted Worthington. “Going from fighting alongside one another on Team USA in the amateurs to being on the same card as pros is a special, full-circle moment in my career and one that I know God created me for. Being the first fighter signed to T-Rex Boxing Promotions is an honor I don’t take lightly. This opportunity is more than a fight; it’s a statement of intent. My purpose in the super lightweight division is clear: total domination. I’m on a mission to claim what’s rightfully mine and anyone who stands in my way will understand just why they call me ‘The Heat.’”
“Samantha and I go way back to the amateur days!” said Claressa Shields. “We fought at the Olympic trials together in 2016! She’s been in the ring with former champions. To sign her as my first athlete to T-Rex Promotions is an honor! I believe that she has done a great job this far! But under my tutelage, I believe she can compete and win against the best we have out there today!”
“The super lightweight division of women’s boxing is one of the most competitive,” said Dmitriy Salita, “and Samantha will be a great addition to make the division even more diverse and exciting. She will bring a strong US presence and be a new face on the global stage of women’s boxing. With Claressa in her corner, the sky is the limit. I am excited to be part of the team and look forward to an explosive start on July 27.
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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.
