Claressa Shields unanimously outpoints Lani Daniels, successfully defending heavyweight belts

DETROIT (AP) — Claressa Shields unanimously outpointed Lani Daniels on Saturday night, successfully defending all her belts as the first undisputed heavyweight champion in women’s boxing.

The 30-year-old Shields, a two-time Olympic champion, improved to 17-0 in front of 15,366 fans at Little Caesars Arena.

The 36-year-old Daniels, the IBF light heavyweight champion, dropped to 11-3-2. She had won seven in a row.

Former super-welterweight champion Tony Harrison beat Edward Diaz of the Dominican Republic by unanimous decision after being knocked down in the ninth round of the 10-round fight. Harrison, who is from Detroit, improved to 30-4-1 in his first fight since losing his belt to Tim Tszyu more than 10 years ago.

In the main event, Daniels danced and shuffled along the ropes for two rounds to stay away from Shields, who was patient until unleashing a flurry of combinations late in both rounds.

Daniels didn’t run in the following rounds — and Shields took advantage with punishing blows to the body and head.

Daniels fought for the first time outside of her native New Zealand and was not welcomed in the Motor City, where Shields is a fan favorite.

Shields, elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, has revived big-time boxing in Detroit.

The city with a rich history in the sport that includes Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and Thomas Hearns went decades without relevant fights.

The Red Wings and Pistons moved into Little Caesars Arena in 2017, but the arena didn’t have a boxing card until 2023 when Shields was the headliner and beat Maricela Cornejo.

Shields was back at Little Caesars Arena last summer, knocking out WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in front of about 12,000 fans and she drew a bigger crowd in her latest

Earlier this month, Katie Taylor beat Amanda Serrano for the third time in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 19,000 at Madison Square Garden in New York in the arena’s first all-women’s card.

Shields won gold medals at 165 pounds at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, making her the first boxer from the United States to win consecutive Olympic medals. Professionally, she has earned titles in five divisions from 154 to 200 pounds.

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AP Boxing: https://apnews.com/hub/boxing