Claressa Shields / Danielle Perkins

Media Workout!

Claressa Shields: “I am super excited to be able to face Danielle Perkins. I think me going to the heavyweight division did scare a lot of people, including my family. My last opponent, Vanessa [Lepage-Joanisse], was someone we took very seriously. Now, we have a better opponent in Danielle. She has a decorated background and is tall and big. I look forward to having an all-out fight with her. What better time to have a fight in Flint than after The Fire Inside has come out all over the country? I just want to show that people from Flint can actually make it.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Lepage-Joanisse made a pretty big noise when she fell, and I look forward to making Danielle Perkins make a bigger noise when she falls.

“I saw somewhere that Perkins said that I was not the GWOAT of boxing. She said someone else was. The mistake that she made was that she didn’t say herself. When they ask you who you think the greatest of all time is in women’s boxing while you’re getting ready to fight for a world championship, and you say someone else, that shows you are doubtful.

“I think she has a very proud story. I respect all of the girls that I fight. I know it is a fight for all of us in women’s boxing. This is a great opportunity for her. Of course, she wants to get the upset. Of course, this is life-changing money for her. But at the end of the day, it’s still a fight, so I’m not super friendly.

“Danielle Perkins is a very tough challenge for anybody, especially with her size. She says that she is a real heavyweight. I’ve been hit hard before and taken it pretty well. I’m not overlooking Danielle. In a strange way, I think she is overlooking me. She thinks that Lepage-Joanisse didn’t have a chance and that she was slow. Lepage-Joanisse was the heavyweight world champion. Lepage-Joanisse had 12 weeks to prepare for me and called me out. I didn’t plan to move up to heavyweight. I look too good to be called a heavyweight.

“It was important to have this fight in Flint because I never had my true homecoming. The last time I fought at the Dort Financial Center was during COVID. I think only about 300 people were allowed in the arena then. I know when I fight in Flint this time, 8,000 people will show up, and that’s what we want.

“My experience will be a big factor in this fight. I have not conquered the world once, but twice as an amateur. Professionally, I have conquered the world 15 times. That means I have been in the ring with 15 world champions or competitors fighting me for a world championship. A lot of those belts I have are ones that I went and took. I have been to girls’ countries to take belts. It’s just different being in there with high-caliber fighters. Every training camp, I get up. It doesn’t matter who I am facing.”

Danielle Perkins: “I don’t think I’ve ever cried tears of joy. Hearing about this opportunity to fight Claressa [Shields] was my first time doing that.

“The person you are meeting right now is not the same person that shows up to the fight. The mission is still very much the same. The person who shows up in the ring does not have that much respect for anybody. I am also very cautious and aware of who she is.

“My second fight, I fought the No. 1 girl on Team USA. She had 44 fights and was undefeated. I had to realize that whoever someone fought before does not matter. You have never fought me, and I am a different challenge. I went out and won that fight.

“Size, strength, and power are the attributes I will bring to this fight. I don’t think I am like anyone else she has ever fought. Claressa [Shields] is a phenomenal middleweight but has never gone more than two rounds at heavyweight. All my experience is at heavyweight, so I have a lot of rounds under my belt.

“Training camp is going great. I have gotten severely uncomfortable during this camp to prepare for the intensity that she brings. Our level of camp has elevated in the last couple of weeks. We’ve been consistently and aggressively picking up the pace. Sparring is no longer just sparring; we are fighting. No one in my camp is taking this fight lightly. The thing is that I have so much respect for Claressa [Shields]. I have to give her one of the best fights in front of Flint. We have been thinking about this opportunity for a while now.”

Dmitry Salita: “Women’s boxing is at an all-time high. The Shields vs. Perkins press workout in Detroit drew tremendous media attention, building excitement for Sunday, February 2, at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Mich., live on DAZN.

“This fight marks another historic chapter for Claressa Shields as she goes for the Undisputed Heavyweight World Title. Shields will challenge to become the first fighter ever to be an Undisputed World Champion in three weight divisions.”

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About Salita Promotions

Founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and worldwide.