Claressa Shields Dominates Lani Daniels, Tony Harrison Survives Ninth Round Curse

Another full house of 16,000-plus at the Little Caesars Arena in Flint, Michigan, another win for undisputed heavyweight champion Claressa Shields of Flint (17-0, 3 KOs) in a successful title defense against IBF World Light Heavyweight Lani Daniels of New Zealand (11-3-2, 1 KO).

Shields won by scorecards of 100-90 ,99-91, and 99-91.

After Lani Daniels stopped running, a proper fight took place. Photo: Stephanie Trapp, Salita Promotions

Say whatever you like about the quality or depth of the competition. As promoter Dmitriy Salita said earlier during fight week, it was a cultural moment, a raucous crowd in their seats early in the card, with plenty of female boxing fans cheering on Shields and the rest of the competitors.

“I’ve been all over the world to some of the biggest boxing shows, and there is nothing like a Detroit crowd,” said Shields. “They were chanting, “Whoop that Trick.” This is definitely my house, and we blew the roof off. It was crazy. Throughout the rounds, I just heard how loud the crowd was. There was not a quiet moment the entire time I was out there.”

Shields Puts On Her Track Shoes to Chase Down Daniels

Claressa Shields controlled the fight over the course of ten rounds, but Lani Daniels gave a decent account of herself. Photo: Stephanie Trapp, Salita Promotions

Shields’ biggest challenge in the early rounds was chasing down Daniels, who was on the move, using every inch of the ring. Daniels either settled down or tired herself out, and an actual fight took place. Daniels gave a decent account of herself, willing to stand and trade at times. But Shields was simply too strong, too skilled, and too accurate for Daniels.

Shields showed Daniels the respect of taking her seriously. For Daniels, she competed in front of the biggest viewing audience in person and via DAZN in her career, and she seemed to relish every minute of it.

“Lani Daniels was a tough opponent. I broke her down to the body and the head. I mixed it up out there. She is just very, very tough. I knew she would be tough by just watching her fight. I could tell she worked on her speed … I know she just wanted to survive the rounds.”

Claressa Shields Now A Free Agent

Shadasia Green and Savannah Marshall delivered the fight of the card in their IBF and WBO super middleweight title bout at Madison Square Garden. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix

After the fight, Shields thanked Dmitry Salita for standing by her as her promoter since she entered the pro ranks. It was her last fight for Salita Promotions, and she has options. Most Valuable Promotions has made no secret of wanting to sign Shields to its growing stable of the world’s top women pros. Dmitriy Salita can’t compete in a bidding war with MVP.

MVP has several good options for Shields, including new super middleweight champion Shadasia Green, which is a serious matchup for Shields.

Tony Harrison Survives the Ninth Round Curse in His Return

Tony Harrison showed no ring rust but nearly fell victim to his ninth-round curse. Photo: Stephanie Trapp, Salita Promotions

 In the co-main event, former WBC Super Welterweight champion Tony Harrison of Detroit found himself down on the canvas in the ninth round as he has in three of his four career losses, including in his last fight against Tim Tszyu.

But this time, Harrison (30-4-1, 21 KOs) got off the deck to win in his return after two and a half years to defeat Edward Diaz of the Dominican Republic (15-7, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision. Scores were 98-92, 97-93, and 96-92.

See Harrison vs Diaz fight highlights here.

Harrison showed almost no ring rust in after 26 months on the sidelines, with a solid left jab setting up his offense. But Diaz caught him with a left hook and right hook combination dropping Harrison, shocking his hometown fans. Harrison and Diaz went to war in the final round, with Diaz trying to get a comeback stoppage win, and Harrison ensuring his decision victory.

“When I first got in the ring and felt those punches, I thought to myself, ‘why am I coming back to this?’ As the fight progressed, I started to have fun, too much fun. I missed this so much. I love boxing.” Harrison said he could hear the crowd cheering him on in the last round.

“Considering my long layoff, I think I did pretty damn good,” declared Harrison. “Being with Salita Promotions, he’s going to do his part, and I am going to do my part. Hopefully, I can get back in the ring before the year ends.

“I promise you, the more fights I have, the harder it is going to be for these fighters to beat me. My speed is still there. My power is still there. I’m a problem.” Harrison isn’t wrong, especially in a middleweight division shy on the talent pool at the top. If Pacquiao can return at 46, Harrison can return at 34. How about a rematch with Tsyzu?

Heavyweight Prospect Pryce Taylor Dominates Robert Simms

We expected more from the big men, but Pryce Taylor did what he needed to do to win against Robert Simms. Photo: Stephanie Trapp, Salita Promotions

The heavyweight contest between Pryce Taylor of Brooklyn (9-0, 6 KOs) and Robert Simms of Saganaw, Michigan (12-5-1, 3 KOs) was a bit of a disappointment, lacking energy and action. Taylor dominated Simms although it didn’t seem to take much, winning a decision by cards of 80-72.

“I’m not just a strong guy. I’m very agile, and I play basketball. I believe I showcased my boxing skills tonight,” said Taylor. “I train for 12 rounds. Eight rounds were nothing. It was frustrating not being able to get him out of there … I did what I had to do.” Credit to Taylor for staying busy; Saturday marked his fourth fight of 2025.

Samantha Worthington is working her way toward a title fight opportunity at super lightweight with her win Saturday. Photo: Stephanie Trapp, Salita Promotions

Samantha Worthington of Lexington, Kentucky (12-0, 7 KOs) won a majority decision over Victoire Piteau of France (14-3, 2 KOs) with scorecards of 99-91, 96-94, and 95-95 to earn the WBA Super Lightweight Interim title.

“Piteau was my toughest opponent to date. She was 14-2 and I was 11-0 going into this fight. She had a lot of experience with plenty of wins. I rose to that challenge tonight. I want to have these fights where it makes me want to get out of bed and be the best fighter I can be,” said Worthington, who said she’s building a fan base in Detroit, having fought four straight bouts there.

“We love this area. You guys have always been great to us. It’s an honor to be able to build a home base here. I want to thank Claressa Shields for allowing me to do so,” said Worthington.

Caroline Verye of Montreal (10-1) won the WBC Silver Featherweight title with a strong performance in toe-to-toe combat over Licia Boudersa of France (24-4-2, 4 KOs). Verye now becomes the mandatory challenger for current champion Tiara Brown. Scores were 99-91 twice and 98-92