Claressa Shields will face women’s WBA light heavyweight titleholder Che Kenneally next, BoxingScene has learned.
The fight is in advanced negotiations to take place in 2026, said a source close to the situation. As of now, no date or venue has been finalized.
Shields, 17-0 (3 KOs), recently signed a four-fight deal with Salita Promotions for $8m dollars. The 30-year-old from Flint, Michigan, will also be co-promoted by Wynn Records, the record label that employs her boyfriend, recording artist Papoose, as creative director. This would be Shields’ first bout since a July 26 unanimous decision win over Lani Daniels.
Kenneally, 5-0 (2 KOs), had no fights in 2025, though she stopped Angie Paola Rocha via third-round technical knockout the previous year to win the vacant WBA title in July 2024.
If Kenneally’s name sounds familiar, she had a viral exchange with Shields during a media workout. Kenneally is a 30-year-old from Port Botany, New South Wales, Australia, who will attempt to dethrone the multi-division titleholder Shields.
Earlier this year, BoxingScene reported that Franchon Crews-Dezurn was hoping to land a rematch with Shields. Crews-Dezurn’s team had not responded to initial contact attempts at the time of publishing this story.
