Sports

Claressa Shields, Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse to fight for heavyweight title in Detroit

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Flint native Claressa Shields will face WBC Women’s Heavyweight World Champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse at Little Caesars Arena this summer.

Known as the "GWOAT" for "Greatest Woman of All Time," Shields will rise two weight classes and look to add to her career.

Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) and Lepage-Joanisse (7-1, 2 KOs) will fight on Saturday, July 27 at LCA for the 175-pound titles in a special edition of "Big Time Boxing USA." The fights will air on DAZN.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on Ticketmaster, the 313 Presents website or the XFINITY Box Office at the arena.

Tickets for the live event are on sale now and can be purchased at 313Presents.com [313presents.com], Ticketmaster.com [ticketmaster.com] and the XFINITY Box Office at Little Caesars Arena.

“The Queen of Boxing is back! I’m so excited to return to the ring, especially after my MMA victory in February.” Shields said in a statement. “I’m excited to bring another entertaining fight to Little Caesars Arena. Last time 12,000 fans filled the arena, and this time we’re going to lift the roof off the building! This is a significant and unique fight where I am moving up two weight classes against a very tough champion in my quest to become World Champion in my fourth weight division. It’s an exciting time for women’s sports, and I thank DAZN for providing a global platform for women’s boxing. I plan to do what I do best: bring that GWOAT energy and continue putting women’s boxing on the map.”

“It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s Claressa or someone else. My life is all about challenges,” said Lepage-Joanisse. “I’ve always faced them head-on, and I intend to keep it that way.”