Boxing celebrity and two-division undisputed world champion Claressa Shields has raised the stakes considerably and can now face no. 1 ranked middleweight contender Maricela “La Diva” Cornejo in the primary occasion of motion on Saturday, June 3 from Little Caesars Enviornment in Detroit and streamed dwell on DAZN within the U.S. and Canada. Hanna Gabriels was initially slated to rematch Shields. Nevertheless, based mostly on the outcomes of a Could 2, 2023 VADA check achieved as a part of the WBC Clear Boxer Program, promoter Salita Promotions made the change.
Boxing’s G.W.O.A.T. and Michigan’s personal Shields will dwell as much as her promise to convey big-time boxing again to Detroit by stepping as much as face the WBC, WBO and IBF no. 1 ranked contender Cornejo within the first-ever boxing occasion at Little Caesars Enviornment. The 2 highly-competitive combatants had robust statements about their June 3 showdown.
“I advised my group to get me one of the best,’ mentioned Undisputed Middleweight Champion Claressa Shields. “Cornejo is a tall, robust Mexican filled with satisfaction who’s in nice form and desires to beat me. She’s ranked primary. That’s precisely what I would like for my Detroit homecoming and for my followers all over the world. I’m wanting ahead to an ideal efficiency on June 3.”
“When Shields confronted a Mexican within the cage, she misplaced. Now she is going to lose to a Mexican within the boxing ring,” mentioned Cornejo. “I simply completed an incredible struggle camp and am in one of the best, strongest bodily and psychological form of my life. My group in Vegas has sharpened me like a knife for this second. On June 3, I’ll turn out to be Undisputed Champion!”
A two-time Olympic gold medalist all through her storied novice profession, the 28-year-old Shields (13-0, 2 KOs) avenged her solely novice defeat final October when she traveled to the U.Ok. to win the WBO Middleweight Title from Savannah Marshall by way of unanimous choice. The Flint-native’s final struggle in her house state of Michigan got here in March 2021 as she bested Marie Eve Dicaire to turn out to be undisputed tremendous welterweight world champion, her second undisputed distinction after initially unifying all of the middleweight titles with a 2019 victory over then unbeaten Christina Hammer.
A local of Washington who now trains in Las Vegas below the tutelage of famend coach Ismael Salas, Cornejo (16-5, 6 KOs) enters this struggle having gained three-straight contests. She most not too long ago fought in March as she stopped Sheila Cunha within the first spherical. The 36-year-old has beforehand challenged for world titles at middleweight and tremendous middleweight, together with a pair of shut choice losses to undisputed tremendous middleweight champion Franchon Crews Dezurn in 2018 and 2019. Cornejo’s first world title alternative got here in simply her sixth skilled outing, as she dropped a razor skinny split-decision to Kali Reis in April 2016.
“Claressa’s aim has all the time been to struggle one of the best, and we left no stone unturned in ensuring we ship the best accessible contender within the undisputed multi group no. 1 world-rated middleweight Marcelo Cornejo,” mentioned Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions. “Followers watching the struggle dwell on DAZN and people current for the comeback of big-time boxing in Detroit at Little Caesars Enviornment will witness the best stage {of professional} boxing between two hungry fighters preventing for the Undisputed Middleweight World Crown.”
Tickets for the dwell occasion are on sale now and might be bought by means of 313Presents.com, Ticketmaster.com and the XFINITY Field Workplace at Little Caesars Enviornment. The occasion is promoted by Salita Promotions and 313 Presents.
