Claressa Shields is fearless, and there’s nothing about Lani Daniels that intimidates the ‘GWOAT’. Not only does Shields hold a clear edge in experience, she also has the height, weight, reach, and age advantage; all of which fuel her confidence heading into their July 26 clash at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Set for her 17th professional bout, Claressa Shields is certain she can comfortably defend her undisputed heavyweight title and her collection of shiny belts.

Adding to her momentum, her opponent, Daniels hasn’t fought since her 2023 win over Bolatito Oluwole, while Shields recently secured a victory over Danielle Perkins in February, a factor that clearly works in her favour. For Shields, a win is already written in the stars, and she can see it with her eyes closed.

Having partnered with Salita Promotions (on June 12, 2017), right after her debut win over Franchon Crews Dezurn, Claressa Shields has become the crown jewel of the promotion. Yesterday, Claressa Shields’ promotion company, Salita Promotions, shared a short clip on X ahead of her upcoming fight. The post featured a quote from Shields during her appearance on Gil’s Arena: “I have that Mike Tyson effect.” 💥🥊 The caption added, “The GWOAT stopped by Gil’s Arena and dropped an electric prediction for her bout with Lani Daniels 😳.” So, what exactly did she say?

“July 26th, first I predict that predicted 19,000, going to be in the building” Claressa Shields said, before urging fans to “get your tickets on Ticketmaster.”

She then made a bold second prediction. “I have watched her interviews, and I have seen what she bringing to the table, and I have actually amplifier her up some. Let me imagine her times 10 of this. And what I have seen so far, Lani gonna be going down before round six.” And if that wasn’t enough, the 17X World Champion and 4x undisputed champion drew a powerful comparison to one of boxing’s most iconic names, Mike Tyson.

“It’s not really about my opponents. I have that Mike Tyson effect,” she said. “When Mike Tyson was coming up, you didn’t care about who Mike Tyson was fighting. You could probably name 67 people, but you showed up and got your ass in the seat because you knew 18 seconds that she’s gonna be over. He can get this over in 18 seconds to 3 rounds. You didn’t want to miss it, and that’s what I have. You gonna get an action packed fight, and somebody’s gonna get hurt. Well not ‘somebody’ – them.”

Beyond the bravado, the 30-year-old sees no indication in Lani Daniels’ past that suggests she’ll come into the July 26 bout ready to brawl. In her view, Daniels lacks the history or style to engage in that kind of fight.

Claressa Shields responds to Lani Daniels wanted to “brawl”

The five-division champion suspects Daniels’ trainer, John Conway, knows his fighter isn’t equipped to outbox the most accomplished woman in boxing history. And there’s some truth to that. New Zealand’s Lani Daniels has only one knockout in 15 professional bouts (against Razel Mohammed in 2023), which raises doubts for Claressa Shields about Daniels’ willingness to trade punches. While Shields herself has a modest knockout ratio (19%), she dropped Danielle Perkins in the 10th round of her most recent fight and stopped Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in the second round of her heavyweight debut in 2024, proving she has the power to finish.

So if Daniels does attempt to turn their title bout into a dogfight, Shields had a blunt warning for her during Monday’s press conference promoting the DAZN-streamed main event. “Conway said something so interesting today,” Shields remarked.

“He said they’re not gonna come in there and box against me… She gonna brawl… Lani, if you come in there and you let your coach convince you to do that, you gonna be out quicker than what I thought… You come out there and stand in front of me and brawl with me, I promise you, you said stretcher today, you will be going out on one.”

No matter what approach Daniels brings to the ring, Shields is confident she’ll show exactly why the 16-0 boxer will have her hands raised. “It’s best to use your skills and tighten up that defense and keep them hands up,” Shields warned.

“Cuz all them other girls you fought against, they may have been a little bit bigger, but they are not as skilled as me and they wasn’t as sharp, they wasn’t as fast… Imma lay yo a– out. And then your coach gonna run in there and try and pick you up… you don’t wanna brawl wit’ me… But I want you to.” That said, do you think Lani Daniels will come in with a solid game plan on fight night? Or is this shaping up to be an easy win for Claressa Shields? And looking ahead, who would you like to see Shields face next?