Latest news with #ClaressaShields
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Boxing: Claressa Shields warns Lani Daniels: 'I'mma lay your ass out!'
Daniels meets the reigning queen in Detroit on July 29 in a bid to make New Zealand history as the first ever fighter to unify the world heavyweight belts. Photo: Photosport If the belt was decided by a war of words, Claressa Shields would barely break a sweat against Lani Daniels. The Kiwi appeared visibly intimidated when trading barbs with the larger than life American, alas it will be fists which determine the true baddest woman on the planet. Daniels meets the reigning queen in Detroit on 29 July in a bid to make New Zealand history as the first ever fighter to unify the world heavyweight belts. But standing in her way is the phenom of the women's boxing world, and Shields was quick to remind Daniels of the monumental task awaiting her when they met at today's press conference. After thanking her ancestors, Daniels shared her gratitude for the opportunity. "One thing my coach has taught me is to respect boxing and it will respect you. So I am planning to come here and win and I've been preparing and I am preparing the best that I can to give a mean fight. And I know it's going to an entertaining one and the only way I'm going home is on a stretcher." But Shields wasn't in a cordial mood, and was vicious with her retort. "I promise you - you said stretcher? You will be going out on one!" she said. "Lani, if you come out there and try to stand there in front of me and brawl with get inside the ring and prove your point, there is no woman in the world that can beat me in a fight, I'mma lay your ass out, and then your coach will have to pick you up, I'm not playing around." Daniels and Shields will fight for the undisputed, unified heavyweight championship, an accolade no Kiwi has achieved in any division. After initially predicting a round seven finish, Shields altered this after hearing Daniels' coach John Conway say they plan to brawl. "I was giving Lani round seven, but from what her coach got there and said today, that done piss me clean off, saying that she gonna stand there and fight or third. I'm gonna make Lani quit. I'm gonna make her throw in the towel." Daniels though, offered her own opinion on when the bout will end. "If we are talking numbers, I think I stop her in round nine." Asked what she has to do in order to finish the champ in the ninth... "I have to make it there." Shields vs Daniels Undisputed world heavyweight title July 29 Detroit
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Claressa Shields Under Fire After Implying Angel Reese Didn't Deserve Her BET Sportswoman Of The Year Award
Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields was nominated for this year's BET Sportswoman of the Year Award, alongside other superstar athletes, including Sha'Carri Richardson, Simone Biles, A'ja Wilson, Dawn Staley, Juju Watkins, and, of course, the WNBA star Angel Reese. However, after Reese, whose impressive college career at LSU has carried over into her WNBA success with the Chicago Sky, won the BET honor for the third consecutive year, Shields voiced her confusion and frustration on social media. Advertisement After her posts began making waves, however, sports watchers and other online commentators quickly pushed back against her claims, defending Angel Reese and highlighting her many accomplishments in the process. An Olympic Gold Medalist Questioned How Angel Reese Won BET's Sportswoman Of The Year Award Over Her On X, Shields, a boxing world champion, was quick to voice her confusion over BET awarding the Sportswoman of the Year honor to Reese instead of her. "Still don't know how I didn't win the Sportswoman of the Year for the [BET Awards]," the athlete wrote on her profile before adding, "but Congrats to Angel Reese and all the other Nominees. I just thought accolades mattered." Fans Fire Back At Shields, Defending Angel Reese's BET Win Fans were quick to fire back at Shields with their thoughts on her comments about Reese, with one saying, "Girl, don't get on her complaining. You're talented; don't let that get overshadowed." Advertisement Another wrote, "Sportsmanship applies outside the ring. Queen-up." Other online users pointed out that the award's criteria often extend beyond pure accolades and also recognize an athlete's cultural impact in and out of their sport. "This screams loser," someone commented. "You weren't even 2nd, 3rd, 4th OR 5th runner up. YOU wouldn't have won, [and] there's ladies on the nominee list that have more accolades than you." Shields Offers Clarification On Her Comments About Angel Reese, But Defends Her Position After receiving backlash for her initial post, Shields offered a clarification, insisting she wasn't implying that Reese wasn't a skilled player. Advertisement "I'm saying I thought the person with 'THE MOST' accolades [and] accomplishments would win the Award. I'm team Angel Reese!" she added. The heavyweight boxer's clarification sparked even more criticism, with users even listing Reese's recent accomplishments, prompting Shields to post another statement declaring she wasn't "joining in on any hate train" regarding Reese. "I have mad respect for her and all the other female athletes that excel in their sport," she added. "As for my earlier comments, I am allowed to express my feelings. I was shocked I didn't win. ... It's ok to be a competitor." Reese Breaks Her Silence On Winning SOTY For The Third Consecutive Year On June 10, following the Chicago Sky's game against the New York Liberty, where Reese posted another double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, the 6'3" power forward broke her silence on the controversy surrounding her monumental BET win. Advertisement "It's great," she said before acknowledging the commentators suggesting she wasn't worthy of the honor. "I just focus on basketball. I come into work every day and work. I don't complain, I don't care about anything else. I have bad days; I haven't been playing well at all." Reese, whose shooting efficiency has been a point of criticism this year, only connecting on about 36% of her shots from inside the arc, continued, "I take accountability. I come in every day and try and be better than the last. I know my teammates trust me; I know they have my back." "Everything else is everything else," she added. "I'm just here to come to work every day... and be able to enjoy my job." Reese Set Another WNBA Record After Earning Her 30th Double-Double Although the Sky lost to the Liberty by 19 in their most recent matchup, Reese did have something positive to celebrate after the game. Advertisement According to the WNBA, "Angel Reese [became] the fastest player in [the league's] history to reach 30 career double-doubles," securing that notch in only 42 games. A week before that, the basketball player set another record after becoming the fastest player to reach 500+ points and 500+ rebounds in WNBA history, earning that accolade in 38 regular-season games, another strong argument for why she earned her third BET award.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Claressa Shields Breaks Silence on Angel Reese, BET Awards Controversy
Claressa Shields Breaks Silence on Angel Reese, BET Awards Controversy originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese won the BET Sportswomen of the Year Award, Claressa Shields posted on X that she thought she should have won the award. Advertisement "Still don't know how I didn't win the Sportswoman of the Year for the BET Awards, but Congrats to Angel Reese and all the other nominees,' Shields posted on X. "I just thought accolades mattered." Reese fans thought Shields was hating on the Sky All-Star, so she posted a follow-up. 'I'm not joining in on any hate train when it comes to Angel Reese," Shields said. "I have mad respect for her and all the other female athletes that excel in their sport. "As for my earlier comments, I am allowed to express my feelings. I was shocked I didn't win. I was under the impression the category was graded on accolades of your sport. It's OK to be a competitor.' Claressa Shields is a fan of Angel Reese. © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Shields did her first interview since the BET Awards controversy with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson. The talented boxer said she is a fan of Reese and wasn't "angry" after she didn't win the BET Sportswomen of the Year Award. Advertisement 'I wasn't angry," Shields said. "I do feel like it was a nice batch of girls that were nominated, but I still felt that I had more accomplishments as far as my longevity. So that's all it was about. "It wasn't anything against Angel, and I hate that they're trying to pit me against her. I'm a fan of Angel Reese. She's young, she's hungry, and I see her wanting to get better. Honestly, I don't know who gets more hate—me or her.' Reese is averaging 10.1 points and 12.1 rebounds this season while shooting 35.8% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 67.7% from the free-throw line. Shields, who is rooting for Reese, wants the WNBA forward to keep working and getting better at her craft. Advertisement 'Keep working. Keep getting better. You feel me? That's my advice to her because when you win, that's all that matters, for real," Shields said. Related: Angel Reese Sends Hilarious Eight-Word Message to Unrivaled Teammate on Thursday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Claressa Shields to return on 26 July against Lani Daniels
Claressa Shields returns to the ring on 26 July in Detroit in a card to be broadcast on DAZN. Shields made the announcement on her Instagram page, saying that she will be fighting Lani Daniels for the female version of the heavyweight championship. The fight will take place at the 22,000-seat Little Caesars Arena in the city's Midtown district. In a note accompanying the Instagram post, Shields wrote: 'I'm excited for this one!!!! Summer fights are always the best!!!!! Whoop that trick will be in full affect!' She went on to say that tickets will be released on Friday. The fight is scheduled to be for the IBF, WBC, WBF, and WBO heavyweight titles. Shields, 16-0 (3), will take on the New Zealand fighter Daniels, 11-2 (1), in a ten-round fight with two-minute rounds. Undisputed heavyweight champion Daniels comes into the bout on a seven-fight winning streak but has been defeated twice on points, once unanimously and once by split decision, by Geovana Peres. Both of those fights took place in Auckland. The undefeated Shields will be making the second defence of her titles after wins in July and February over Vaness Lepage-Joanisse and Danielle Perkins. Since turning professional in 2016, Shields has won world titles from light-middleweight to heavyweight. Daniels, for her part, also posted yesterday about the fight. She wrote on her official Facebook page: '8th May 2003, my brother Tukaha lost his fight to Leukaemia. Fast forward 21 years 11 months and 18 days today. It has been announced I will be fighting the Greatest Woman of all time [in] Claressa Shields. Our stars have aligned. Not bad for a Māori girl from Pipiwai who only started back boxing a few years back to lose some weight and fit her fight shorts again.' She added: 'Thank you to everyone who has supported my journey.' Sign up to a DAZN subscription to watch the very best boxing DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. It is not just about fight night, a DAZN membership also includes access to documentaries and features, weekly magazine shows, live fight watchalongs, press conferences, weight-ins, open workouts, exclusive interviews and access to training camps, and podcasts and vodcasts. Sign up right now to watch the biggest stars and best fights.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Savannah Marshall delves into her return to boxing as part of Jake Paul's super-team
Savannah Marshall is back. After a detour in MMA, the former undisputed boxing champion is trading the confines of a cage for more familiar, roped surroundings. If the boxing ring is the place, perhaps twilight is the time; Marshall is 34 now, and has done it all as an Olympian, two-weight world champion, undisputed title holder, and headliner of Britain's first-ever all-female boxing card. At that event in 2022, she fought at a packed O2 Arena, and in July, she can tick off New York City's iconic Madison Square Garden – to go along with past adventures in Las Vegas and at York Hall. After competing and winning under mixed martial arts rules last July, Marshall's title fight with Shadasia Green at MSG will mark her first boxing outing since July 2023. On that occasion, the Hartlepool boxer gained undisputed status at super-middleweight, outpointing Franchon Crews Dezurn to add to her previous success at middleweight. When she faces Green, Marshall can reclaim one of the belts she lost during her absence from the sport: the WBO title. "I was a little bit annoyed that I got stripped,' Marshall tells The Independent, saying two-time undisputed status is her main motivation in what could be the final chapter of her career. 'Let me get all my belts back, then maybe I'll get that fulfilment that I've been chasing for the 23 years I've been boxing!' One senses that, for Marshall, true fulfilment would come in avenging her sole professional loss, her defeat by Claressa Shields at the O2. With an amateur win over Shields to her name, Marshall remains the only boxer to have beaten the American, but the Briton craves one more victory over her rival. However, 'I am actually in doubt, for the first time ever, that I will get that,' she admits. 'I've waited two-and-a-half years, switched to MMA and signed with the PFL because she was with them, so... Look, maybe that's not ever gonna happen for me.' Indeed, Marshall hoped that chasing Shields into MMA might lead to the rematch she desired, but it did not. The foray was not fruitless, though. Marshall says her biggest takeaway from her MMA endeavour is enhanced strength. 'I feel 10-times stronger,' she explains, 'and I think that's down to the wrestling and jiu-jitsu. They beat any form of strength and conditioning. Even though I'm 34, and you'd think I'd have matured a lot sooner, my body has just transformed and thickened up.' Yet there have been challenges in readjusting to her preferred sport. 'You have to be very square on in boxing, so everything that benefited me in boxing did not benefit me at all in MMA,' she says. 'I had 18 months of totally changing my style, and now I've come back to boxing... even at the start of the year, I was finding it hard. I was coming in very side on. Thankfully muscle memory kicked in, and I've gone back to how I used to box; I'm getting my feet right. Eighteen months to get there, four to get back.' In that sense, there might have been a silver lining in Marshall not fighting at March's all-female sequel at the Royal Albert Hall, where Boxxer followed up on its 2022 event from the O2. Marshall expressed frustration at being announced for the Albert card only to be left out, but has since parted ways with Boxxer. 'It's just unfortunate,' she reflects. 'These things happen, relationships end, we don't all get what we want.' Now, Marshall is focusing on the positives. While she admits a return in March would have likely been 'more suited to me, so the opponent wouldn't have been of [Green's] calibre', she has ended up with more time to hone her old style. Furthermore, her return will come in front of a global audience on Netflix, under Jake Paul 's Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). Marshall is one of numerous high-profile women's boxers to have signed with the company, and her fight with Green will serve as an appetiser for Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano 3. Their first clash also took place at MSG, while their rematch – on the Paul vs Mike Tyson undercard – was reportedly the most-watched women's sporting event ever. 'I think it's unbelievable,' Marshall effuses. 'I can't believe promoters have never really cottoned on to: 'Female boxing sells, why don't we sign a load of female boxers, some of the best in the world, and put them all on one platform?' It's mad to think it's taken Jake Paul, who essentially is a YouTube influencer... but what a businessman. Boxing is his passion, he's seen an opening in the market, and he's capitalised.' Boxxer, of course, has highlighted women's boxing in Britain, but MVP seeks to go one further, emulating Boxxer's all-female bills but reaching a wider audience. 'I haven't had a conversation with Jake, it's all been through his team, through Nikisa [Bidarian],' Marshall continues. 'Jake's got a great team, and MVP have got the Netflix platform, whose viewing figures blow Sky, TNT, Amazon out of the water. The likes of [promoters] Eddie [Hearn], Frank [Warren], Bob Arum, they don't have that platform. Jake has it, and he's pushing female sport. Fair play to him, because not a lot of promoters – especially in the UK – push female fighters like he is.' A great, big push for women's boxing, and one last push by Savannah Marshall.
