Claressa Shields retained her undisputed women’s heavyweight championship with a commanding unanimous decision over Lani Daniels on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The judges scored the bout 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91 in favour of Shields, who improved to 17-0 (3 KOs). The 30-year-old Flint native and two-time Olympic gold medallist remains the only boxer in the four-belt era to become an undisputed champion in three different weight classes.
Daniels (11-3-2, 1 KO), a 37-year-old former IBF light heavyweight titleholder from New Zealand, offered little early offence and spent the opening rounds circling the ring. Shields pressed the action and gradually took control with superior timing, footwork and punch variety.
By the middle rounds, Shields had closed the distance and was landing consistent body shots and combinations to the head. The final rounds featured more two-way action, but Shields remained in control through cleaner shot selection and sharper counters.
The fight capped an 11-bout card broadcast on Dazn and drew an announced crowd of 15,366. In the co-main event, Detroit’s Tony Harrison returned after a 28-month layoff and scored a unanimous-decision win over Edward Diaz.
