Claressa Shields vs. Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse: Full fight card, date, start time, streaming, how to watch, venue, and more
The Claressa Shields vs. Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse fight will witness the legendary Shields move up in weight in a bid to capture the WBC women's heavyweight title. Many believe that Shields is the far more skilled and experienced pugilist and would likely prove her mettle at a heavier weight too.
America's Shields had an incredibly successful amateur boxing career, capturing two Olympic gold medals at middleweight, one in 2012 and the other in 2016. Moreover, 'T-Rex' has amassed a professional boxing record of 14-0 and has won world titles in three separate weight classes thus far.
Shields made her professional MMA debut in June 2021 and holds a 2-1 record in the sport. Her most recent MMA bout witnessed her defeat Kelsey DeSantis via split decision in a 165-pound bout at PFL vs. Bellator in Feb. 2024.
As for Shields' latest boxing match, that transpired in June 2023. 'GWOAT' successfully defended the undisputed middleweight title by beating Maricela Cornejo via unanimous decision. She thereby retained the WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF, and Ring Magazine women's middleweight belts.
On the other hand, Lepage-Joanisse holds a professional boxing record of seven victories and one defeat. While the Canadian fighter is seemingly at a mammoth experience disadvantage against her US foe, she's known to be a tenacious pugilist. Lepage-Joanisse captured the vacant WBC women's heavyweight title by defeating Abril Argentina Vidal via a split decision in March 2024.
The Claressa Shields vs. Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse matchup would be contested at 175 pounds, with Lepage-Joanisse's WBC heavyweight title on the line. The fight will headline a boxing card at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, USA, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
Viewers in over 200 countries can watch the event live on DAZN. The event is set to start at 9 pm ET on Saturday (July 27, 2024) in the United States of America. That would mean a start time of 2 am BST on Sunday (July 28, 2024) in the United Kingdom. Moreover, the main event fighter walkouts are expected around 12 am ET on Sunday in the US and 5 am BST on Sunday in the UK.
Claressa Shields vs. Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse full fight card
Claressa Shields is the reigning undisputed middleweight (160-pound) champion, but her title won't be on the line because the fight is being contested in the light heavyweight (175-pound) division. Furthermore, Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse's WBC heavyweight (200-plus-pound) title will be up for grabs in the fight.
The Claressa Shields vs. Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse fight card features several other exciting matchups. A notable change was that Ernesto Mercado was initially booked to fight Hector Edgardo Sarmiento on the card, but Sarmiento has been replaced by Jose Gonzalez.
Listed below is the full fight card for the Claressa Shields vs. Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse event (*Kindly note that the card is subject to change):
Main Card
- Claressa Shields vs. Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse (WBC women's heavyweight title)
- Michel Rivera vs. Hugo Roldan (super lightweight)
- Shohjahon Ergashev vs. Julian Smith (super lightweight)
Undercard
- Cameran Pankey vs. Shaileik Paisley (featherweight)
- Gordie Russ II vs. Josiah Shackleford (super welterweight)
- Husam Al-Mashhadi vs. Bruno Leonardo Romay (super welterweight)
- Ernesto Mercado vs. Jose Gonzalez (super lightweight)
- Jaquan McElroy vs. Travis Floyd (welterweight)
- Samantha Worthington vs. Edina Kiss (women's super lightweight)
- Danielle Perkins vs. Christianne Fahey (women's heavyweight)