Claressa Shields moving up 2 weight classes to challenge heavyweight champ Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse
FILE - Boxer Claressa Shields acknowledges the fans after her win over Maricela Cornejo in a middleweight bout, Saturday, June 3, 2023, in Detroit. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is moving up two weight classes to challenge women’s WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse on July 27. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
DETROIT (AP) — Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields announced Tuesday she is moving up two weight classes to challenge women’s WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse on July 27.
Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) and Lepage-Joanisse (7-1, 2 KOs) of Quebec will headline the boxing card at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, where nearly 12,000 fans watched the Flint, Michigan, native defend her middleweight title against Maricela Cornejo a year ago.
Shields won gold medals in the women’s middleweight division at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, making her the first boxer from the United States to win consecutive Olympic medals. She is the only American to win Olympic gold in boxing since 2004.
Shields was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation in October.
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