July was a massive month for women’s boxing. Only a couple of weeks ago, Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor sold out Madison Square Garden in a historic all-women card aired live on Netflix. And now, on July 26th, Claressa Shields, the most decorated female boxer of all time, will defend her undisputed heavyweight title against Lani Daniels to close out the month.
The ten two-minute round bout will mark the ‘GWOAT’s’ first undisputed title defense since her win over Danielle Perkins five months ago. On paper, the two-time Olympic Gold medalist looks like a clear favorite. However, the IBF light heavyweight champion is a formidable opponent and would love to create an upset. So, with the stakes higher than ever, the combat world is watching earnestly. This includes former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who has a message for the fans.
Jon Jones’ earnest appeal to the fans
On Tuesday, aroarboxing posted a video on Instagram featuring the recently retired UFC heavyweight. “What’s up, guys? This is UFC Heavyweight champion of the world, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones,” the 38-year-old MMA great said, as the interviewer chuckled. ‘Bones’ never lost his title and only relinquished it when he retired. So, in his eyes, he is still the champion. However, that is not why he was here. The 38-year-old made a sincere request to the fans to catch Claressa Shields’ return to her home state. “Be sure to check out Claressa Shields’ big championship fight at Little Caesars Arena on July 26,” he added.
Hailing from Flint, Michigan, this will be ‘T-Rex’s’ third fight at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Notably, she has exclusively fought in her home state since 2023, with her undisputed championship win taking place at the Dort Financial Center in Flint.
The 30-year-old will experience a heartfelt and historic return to her hometown after making history as the first women’s undisputed heavyweight champion. “Get your tickets at Ticketmaster. Support the GWOAT,” Jon Jones concluded, before walking out. The former heavyweight champion kept it short and straight, urging fans to watch the greatest female boxer in action.
Jones also made sure to echo Claressa Shields’ self-proclaimed ‘GWOAT’ moniker, declaring her as the best. And the 30-year-old is determined to prove that she is worthy of that title. However, just ahead of the fight night, a recent update has put her top status in question.
Claressa Shields is no more the number 1
Yesterday, Seconds Out posted on its Instagram that Katie Taylor, after her third straight victory over Amanda Serrano, has been awarded the number one spot in women’s pound-for-pound rankings. The post featured a collage of Taylor and Serrano with their titles, with the text reading, “Taylor jumps Shields in Pound for Pound rankings.”
The caption shed more light on the matter. “Katie Taylor has claimed the number one spot in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings following her trilogy win over Amanda Serrano earlier this month!” The Seconds Out report stems from Yahoo Sports and Ariel Helwani’s Uncrowned updated rankings, where they placed the ‘Bray Bomber’ at number 1 after she defended her undisputed super lightweight title against Amanda Serrano successfully this month.
However, officially, Ring Magazine and ESPN still have Claressa Shields as their No.1 pound-for-pound in women’s boxing. So, a win over Lani Daniels might get her back to the top on other lists as well. But to be honest, given the pedigree of both of their careers, it is a debate that might never end.
Who do you think is the best pound-for-pound female boxer?
The post Jon Jones Gets Real About Claressa Shields’ Return to the Ring appeared first on EssentiallySports.
