Two weeks after some of the best women fighters received a huge audience, another of this generation’s top talents – and beyond, if you go co-sign Claressa Shields calling herself the Greatest Woman of All Time, or GWOAT – takes to the ring.
Here are the key details:
When is Claressa Shields vs. Lani Daniels?
Claressa Shields vs. Lani Daniels is on Saturday, July 26. The stream will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (1 a.m. BST).
What channel is Claressa Shields vs. Lani Daniels on?
Claressa Shields vs. Lani Daniels is streaming on DAZN.
Where is Claressa Shields vs. Lani Daniels?
The fight is taking place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
Who is Claressa Shields?
Shields’ claim to being the GWOAT is backed by her combined amateur and professional credentials: two Olympic gold medals, unifying two world titles at super middleweight, moving down to become the undisputed middleweight champion, then down another weight class to become undisputed at junior middleweight, then back up to 160lbs to re-consolidate her throne.
Without much depth in the heavier weight classes, Shields then sought opportunities where they were available, which brought her to light heavyweight and heavyweight (in women’s boxing, there is some overlap in the limits defining those divisions). In her past two outings, Shields took out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in two rounds to win both a light heavyweight and a heavyweight title, then outpointed Danielle Perkins this past February to win three more vacant heavyweight belts, making Shields a four-time undisputed champion in three weight classes.
The 30-year-old from Flint, Michigan, is 16-0 (3 KOs) as a pro. Shields’ only amateur loss, to Savannah Marshall in 2012, was avenged when they met 10 years later in the paid ranks. There just aren’t that many women in general competing in the same weight classes as Shields, never mind women with enough talent to merit standing across from her, never mind women with enough talent to pose a challenge to her.
All of which brings Shields into this fight with Daniels.
Who is Lani Daniels?
Daniels, 11-2-2 (1 KO), is a 37-year-old from New Zealand. She started boxing as a way to get in shape, and her time in the amateurs was nowhere near as extensive nor as high-level as Shields’. After some stumbling blocks earlier in her pro career, Daniels has now won world titles in two weight classes.
Those stumbling blocks include two losses within her first six fights, each time via decision against Geovana Peres. Daniels then moved down from super middleweight to middleweight for a pair of draws with a 1-6 fighter named Tessa Tualevao.
Daniels moved up to heavyweight in 2022 and beat the 6-1-1 Alrie Meleisea in 2023 for a vacant heavyweight title. After one successful defense, Daniels went from the 180s to just slightly over 168lbs for a pair of light heavyweight fights. She beat the 5-1 Desley Robinson by majority decision for another vacant title and then, in her last outing, unanimously outpointed the 9-0 Bolatito Oluwole in September 2024.
It is not the strongest of records, but Daniels should still take pride in what she has accomplished because of boxing, especially what it has meant to her life outside of the ring. Her brother died from cancer, and a young Daniels subsequently struggled with substance abuse and mental health.
What other fights are on the undercard of Claressa Shields vs. Lani Daniels?
In the co-feature, Samantha Worthington, 11-0 (7 KOs), and Victoire Piteau, 14-2 (2 KOs), will fight for the WBA’s interim belt at 140lbs (the undisputed junior welterweight champion is Katie Taylor).
There is also an elimination bout between Caroline Veyre, 9-1 (0 KOs), and Licia Boudersa, 24-3-2 (4 KOs), with the winner in position to challenge WBC featherweight titleholder Tiara Brown; plus separate fights spotlighting heavyweight prospect Pryce Taylor, 8-0 (6 KOs), and former junior middleweight titleholder Tony Harrison, 29-4-1 (21 KOs), returning at middleweight 28 months after his TKO loss to Tim Tszyu.
The full list of undercard fights can be seen on BoxRec.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
