Claressa Shields has dismissed ideas Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse represents the hardest problem of her profession.
On Saturday at Detroit’s Little Caesars Area, the undisputed middleweight champion strikes to gentle heavyweight to combat Lepage-Joanisse for not solely the vacant WBO title, however the heavyweight title of the WBC.
Having established herself because the world’s most interesting feminine fighter after which made essentially the most emphatic assertion of her dominance in 2022 with victory over Savannah Marshall, Shields’ newest vital check comes significantly above her pure weight.
Canada’s Lepage-Joanisse, like Shields aged 29, possesses a notable dimension benefit, however Shields believes that she has detected limitations that make her inferior to a few of her opponents from the previous.
“She’s my greatest opponent, I can say that, however so far as my hardest combat, I’ve fought towards some actually nice fighters early on in my profession,” she informed BoxingScene. “Franchon Crews; Hanna Gabriels; Savannah Marshall; the likes of these ladies have been round for years and fought everywhere in the nation.
“I’ve been in with the likes of these ladies, so I feel Vanessa has some attributes that may give me some issues for certain, however I’ve simply fought towards one of the best already and I’ve overwhelmed one of the best – that’s why I’m right here. I do know Vanessa isn’t coming to put down and it’s going to be exhausting breaking her will come July twenty seventh, however I’m gonna do the whole lot in my energy to take action.
“We had been speculated to combat towards Lani Daniels – that was the primary particular person – however then Lani bought sick, or one thing, or injured. So, we went subsequent finest and subsequent finest was Vanessa, however then it was bizarre ‘trigger once we signed to combat with Vanessa, Lani Daniels began logging on saying I ducked her, however she was making an attempt to get the combat with Vanessa. So, I don’t assume she was really injured, she simply signed the papers to combat me after which determined, ‘I feel I bit off a bit greater than I can chew’, sort of deal, and tried to signal a deal to combat with Vanessa – however Vanessa signed a deal to combat with me.”
A lot of Shields’ revered contemporaries have wrongly been thought-about the underdog towards greater opponents, no matter their superior abilities.
Shields, in distinction, is taken into account a convincing favorite towards Lepage-Joanisse, and he or she stated: “I feel the world has caught on to that, ‘Clarissa Shields can do no matter she will be able to put her thoughts to’. Preventing at heavyweight is a problem, however it’s no totally different to all the opposite challenges.
“Truthfully, what fights have been like, ‘Clarissa gonna lose this combat’? I actually haven’t skilled that; I’m the favorite in each combat. Possibly when everyone was satisfied that Savannah [Marshall] was simply this knockout puncher and he or she knocks everybody out, possibly that combat. Individuals had been saying that I wasn’t gonna win, however I by no means thought that.
“I by no means thought that no feminine that I been matched towards was gonna beat me in a combat. So I feel I’ll give Vanessa that very same respect of pondering that, ‘You’re a heavyweight champion and also you’ve fought as large as 213lbs or 231lbs’. However I’m what I’m, and that’s the best lady of all time – the best lady in any weight class.”
