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CLARESSA SHIELDS: "IF ANYBODY EVER STANDS UP TO ME, MAN OR WOMAN, I'LL NEVER LOSE"

By Press Release | June 20, 2018
CLARESSA SHIELDS:

Unified Women’s Super Middleweight World Champion Claressa Shields and unified 154-pound champion Hanna Gabriels met face to face during the final press conference in advance of their fight to decide the IBF and WBA Women’s Middleweight World Championships this Friday live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT).

The SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION telecast features the No. 1 fighter at 168 pounds facing the No. 1 fighter at 154 pounds as they both attempt to become champions for the first time in the middleweight division. In the telecast co-feature unified women’s middleweight champion Christina Hammer defends her WBC and WBO titles in her U.S. debut against former world champion Tori Nelson. Also, light heavyweight prospects Umar Salamov and Brian Howard will meet in a 10-round matchup that will open the tripleheader from Masonic Temple in Detroit. 

Here is what some of the principals had to say on Wednesday at the St. Regis Hotel in Detroit. Howard was not able to attend because of weather-related travel issues.

CLARESSA SHIELDS

“We have a women’s main event. We have another women’s fight for world titles as the co-main event and then, we have a male fight opening up the show. I’ve never seen anything like that before. 

“After my second fight, I told Mark [Taffet] what my dreams were. My goal was to fight Christina Hammer my seventh fight to take all of her belts. That was the way that I saw it going but my professional career took off very fast and that’s why I’m the greatest female fighter of all time. I say that because where I’m from in Flint, Michigan, people have dreams all the time but we’re not given that opportunity. I was in a dark place from the age of five until I was 17. 

“For someone to take away my accomplishments and say that I’m not the greatest of all time, you have to show me. When I’m in the gym training two times a day, I think about what I went through and what my family goes through and I push myself. When somebody says that they’re going to beat me, it angers me. I get mad and I punch the bag until it falls. When you tell me that I’m not the greatest woman of all time, I really hope Hanna has trained hard because it’s not going to be an easy task. I really hope that Christina Hammer has trained hard because in the future it’s not going to be an easy task either. To beat me, you’re going to have to kill me. I’m not going to go down. 

“I’m the fastest woman to win a world title. I did it in my fourth fight. I was 21 years old and I was coming off winning two Olympic Gold Medals. I whipped this body into shape. In the Olympics, you fight four two-minute rounds. June 22, we’re fighting 10 two-minute rounds. I’ve been pro for a year and a half so you can’t tell me I haven’t worked hard to get to where I am. When I say that I am the greatest woman of all time, I’ve proved it. I have the belts. I have the gold medals. There’s more footage of me boxing out there than any other woman. Every fight, I improve. Just because somebody has been professional more than me, it’s not going to make it any easier for you. You have to come in there and you have to show me. I’m fighting the best and if anybody ever stands up to me, man or woman, I’ll never lose. I can’t wait until Friday night.”     

JOHN DAVID JACKSON, SHIELDS’ TRAINER

“It’s a pleasure to work with Claressa. She beats most of the men that I train. She comes to fight. This Friday night, she’s going to showcase her talents once again. Since day one, she’s been a pleasure to work with. Whatever I’ve asked her to do, she tries. She’s perfecting her craft. This fight should be a wonderful event. She’s bringing boxing back in two ways. One, for the female fighters but also for the boxing community. She’s refreshing. When the bell rings, somebody’s getting hurt. Her whole intention is to be undisputed champion in multiple divisions, not just one. She’s definitely on the right path for that.”

GORDON HALL, VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION, SHOWTIME SPORTS

“SHOWTIME Sports continues to lead the boxing industry by delivering the largest slate of live events. This year alone, we featured 22 world title bouts and our ShoBox: The New Generation series continues to develop prospects, turning them into contenders. Most recently, we had our 76th fighter in Maurice Hooker win a title. We are very proud of this developmental series as it has helped the sport of boxing.

“SHOWTIME has a long history of women in combat sports. Our MMA platforms have seen the likes of Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey and our boxing is headlined by Laila Ali, Christy Martin and most recently, Claressa Shields, Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor. This will be SHOWTIME’s eighth telecast since 2016 presenting women’s boxing. Male or female, we are delivering the best fighters in their best fights and Friday will be no different.”

DMITRY SALITA, FOUNDER OF SALITA PROMOTIONS

“We have a full card stacked from top to bottom on Friday night. There are a million ways to say no, but only one way to say yes, and Hanna Gabriels said yes. She’s on many pound-for-pound lists and is a superstar in her own right, especially in Costa Rica where she’s fought in front of 10, 15, 20,000 people. She’s a trend-setter and record breaker in women’s boxing in her home country. 

“Claressa Shields has the ability to become a Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Pele, Michael Jordan – someone very special and someone who can take the sport to the next level and she has already done that by becoming the first women to fight in the main event on a premium sports channel.”

MARK TAFFET, SHIELDS’ MANAGER

"I promise you that we'll look back some day and June 22, 2018 will be the day that people will point to and they will say, that's the day that the glass ceiling was broken.

"You don't get champions with the talent and level of commitment these women have, inside and outside of the ring, that often. And we have them all in one night, in one card. It is the best night of women's boxing to date."

# # #

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Salita Promotions, are available at Ticketmaster.com or at the Masonic Temple Box Office at (313) 832-7100.  VIP tickets are priced at $300, ringside tickets at $125, and remaining tickets at $75, $50 and $35.  

For more information visit www.sho.com/sports follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, #ShoBox, or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports.

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