IBF Heavyweight World Title Champion Lani Daniels celebrates at Eventfinda Stadium in Auckland. Photo: Photosport
A date with greatness awaits Kiwi boxer Lani Daniels.
In one of the biggest bouts in New Zealand boxing history, Daniels will square off against the best female fighter on the planet- Claressa Shields, for the undisputed World Heavyweight title on 27 July.
A clash of gold laden fighters, the two-division world champion will take on the five-division world champion at Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit.
While New Zealand has often punched above its weight on the world boxing stage, the country has never had either a a unified or undisputed, world champion.
Daniels has been the closest to achieving the feat, holding both the IBF World Heavyweight and IBF World Light Heavyweight titles at the end of 2023.
She was forced to relinquish her heavyweight title due to also being champion in another division.
Should she defeat Shields, she will claim the WBA, WBO, IBF and WBC heavyweight belts.
The 36-year-old Daniels was already in training, preparing for a fight with Nailini Helu, before that got cancelled and her camp said she is in top condition.
And she will need to be as she gets set to fight a certified GOAT of the boxing game.
Unbeaten in 16 bouts, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and three-time world amateur champion, Shields made her professional boxing debut in 2016, winning her first world title in just her fourth fight in 2017.
She went on to win world titles in five weight divisions and become an undisputed world champion in three, being the only boxer between male or female, to do so.
Shields also held the lineal title in two weight divisions in Middleweight and Super Welterweight.
This is due to a lineal title not currently existing for the heavyweight division for females, however, this fight could change that.
