The final press conference was held today for the Detroit show featuring world middleweight champion Claressa “GWOAT” Shields attempting to win a historic title in a fourth weight division by challenging WBC women’s heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse on Saturday, July 27th at Little Caesars Arena and live on DAZN. The vacant WBO light heavyweight championship will also be on the line. [The WBC recognizes 175+ pounds as the weight limit for the women's heavyweight division]. 

 

Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) of Flint, Mich., and Lepage-Joanisse of Quebec, will headline the show presented by Salita Promotions and 313 Presents that also features a ten-round junior welterweight co-feature pitting Michel “La Zarza Ali” Rivera against Hugo Alberto “Nato” Roldan and also Shohjahon “Descendant of Tamerlane” Ergashev taking on Julian “The Quiet Storm” Smith in another  ten-round junior welterweight bout. Tickets for the July 27th event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the XFINITY Box Office at Little Caesars Arena. 

 

Here is what the conference participants had to say today:

 

Claressa Shields

 

Vanessa did not train hard enough for this fight. I saw her hitting the pads yesterday at the media workout, trying to impress me. I was not impressed. I sparred against bears for this camp. She’s sparring with girls I beat up already.

 

I’m happy she’s here. I hope she hits like a heavyweight because if she’s not punching like a heavyweight, she’s going to sleep. 

 

She says she doesn’t trash talk. I trash talk and back it up. I will be heavyweight champion Saturday, and nobody will stand in my way. Her size means nothing to me. I’m coming from 160 pounds, but I will be the bear Saturday night. 

 

She rubs me the wrong way. When I take her belt from her, she’s going back to Canada with nothing. She’s going home with a paycheck and beltless. That’s it.

 

I got to eat better and drink a lot more water for this camp. When you’ve beat everyone at 160 and 168, where else can you go but to heavyweight?

 

Pray for Vanessa because she’s going down Saturday night. If you’re not here July 27 you’ll be missing greatness. This fight will be one of my biggest fights. I’ll be a 15-time world champion come Saturday night. I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do to keep the T-rex off her Saturday night. 

 

Amanda Serrano, Katie Taylor, Alicia Baumgartner, all of you can make a fight with me and we will see who the real GWOAT is. IT’S WAR TIME! 

 

Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse 

 

I’m thrilled to be here. It ‘s an honor. My hard work is done. I had a great camp, and my team is behind me. A lot of fans from Quebec will be here also.

 

I’m not a trash talker, I respect Claressa Shields and I know what’s she accomplished, but a fight is a fight. I’ll be ready Saturday night and I’m coming home with the belt in my suitcase. It’s going to be a fight, but I’m going to win it.

 

Honestly Claressa, I hope you didn’t waste to much energy putting on a show here. All this showing off is pointless. I’m ready to fight and nothing you say today will make a difference. Be ready Saturday night.

 

I had the best camp of my life and I’ve been focused on just this fight for a very long time. I’m in the best shape ever and I’m ready to shock the world.   

 

Dmitriy Salita, Salita Promotions 

 

Over the last couple days, there has been a lot of debate about who the GWOAT is and I’ve learned not to be emotional, but it did stir me up. Claressa Shields is the most accomplished women in boxing in history and she’s done things never done before. The term GWOAT was never spoken before Claressa. Her incredible personality and accomplishments have made women’s boxing what it is today. She’s given other women the confidence to believe they can be the best someday. 

 

Claressa dreamed of being a champion as a child in Flint. Flint is struggling every day and to be a young person and decide to become everything she’s become is incredible. There is absolutely no debate who the GWOAT is. 

 

What concerns me about this fight is that Vanessa has all the right ingredients of a champion. There will be 20,000 fans will be rooting against her. We saw her in the gym, and she looks sharp and strong. This is Claressa’s biggest challenge, and we look forward to a fantastic night of boxing. Save your ticket. It will be a collector’s item. 

 

Mark Taffet, President Mark Taffet Media

 

When we saw we had the opportunity to come back for another fight at Little Caesars Arena, we all said let’s do it! Thanks to everyone for all their hard work to make this incredible fight happen. 

 

Claressa is the GWOAT inside the ring, but she also strives to be great outside the ring by fighting for women’s equality and encouraging women to be their best and realize their dreams.

 

Imagine being a child growing up in your own home and facing horrors that you can’t imagine, things that no child should have to face with every room you walk in and every door you go through. Those are some of the things Claressa Shields faced as a child. She was nine before she could utter a word. She was a teenager before her words were decipherable. Somehow this kid went to a boxing gym and became not just a survivor but someone who achieved the unthinkable, after going through the unthinkable.

 

Michel Rivera 

 

 

Hello beautiful people. I’m glad to be here in Detroit and in a big event with the best woman in boxing. I’m so excited and I look forward to putting on a good show Saturday.

 

Roldan is a tough fighter with a good record and he ‘s coming to win but obviously he will lose. I am a superstar! La Zarza Ali Rivera!

 

Training went good because I am tougher than the toughest.

 

Shohjahon Ergashev 

 

I love Detroit. I’m from Uzbekistan and the first time I boxed professionally was in Detroit. I met SugarHill here and my promoter Dmitriy Salita. Detroit is my second home. 

 

Good luck to Claressa Saturday night. 

 

I studied him on YouTube and he’s not bad. He can fight. I’m more experienced and I am a future champion. I will stop him before the fifth round. If not, I will break his ribs. 

 

We prepared for a hard fight. I will continue progressing my boxing skills and I will be world champion very soon. Thanks to my promoter. He’s doing a great job.  

 

 

Headlining the non-televised portion of the night will be a 10-round junior welterweigh battle between undefeated knockout artist Ernesto “Tito” Mercado (15-0, 14 KOs) of Pomona, CA, and Hector Edgardo “Pajarito” Sarmiento (21-2, 14 KOs) from Cordoba, Argentina, as well as an eight-round women’s junior welterweigh battle where Samantha Worthington (8-0, 6 KOs) will put her undefeated record on the line against Hungary’s Edina Kiss (16-20, 9 KOs).

 

In a six-round junior middleweight battle, Dearborn Heights, Michigan’s Husam "Lion Heart" Al Mashhadi (9-1, 8 KOs) will take on Argentina’s Bruno Leonardo Romay (22-13, 19 KOs). In a six-round featherweight showdown, Pontiac, Michigan’s Cameran “The Problem” Pankey (9-1, 4 KOs) will take on Mooresville, North Carolina’s Shaileik Paisley (4-4, 3 KOs). 

 

Also featured that night will be an eight-round female heavyweight fight between Houston, Texas’ Danielle Perkins (4-0, 2 KOs) and Scotland’s Christianne Fahey (2-1, 2 KOs), as well as an exciting all-Detroit six-round junior middleweight scrap between once-beaten Gordie Russ II (6-1, 6 KOs) and once-beaten Josiah Shackleford (3-1, 2 KOs).

 

Rounding out the action will be Flint’s own Jaquan McElroy, who will make his professional boxing debut in a four-round welterweight bout against Travis Floyd of Douglasville, GA.