(JAN 19) In the 10-round
main event of “SUPERWOMEN,’ an herstoric night of live,
all-female pay-per-view boxing (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) celebrating
women’s sports and dedicated to International Women’s Day 2021,
undefeated three-division world champion Claressa Shields will
attempt to become the first boxer in the four-belt era to become
an undisputed world champion in two weight divisions when she
faces unbeaten IBF Super Welterweight Champion Marie-Eve Dicaire
in a 154-pound unification bout between the #1 and #2 junior
middleweights in the world.
Presented by Salita Promotions in
association with Groupe Yvon Michel, the pay-per-view telecast
will be available at a suggested retail price of just $29.95 and
will be distributed by InDemand to all major cable, satellite
and telco outlets and livestreamed by FITE TV through the
www.FITE.tv portal. ‘SUPERWOMEN’ will be held on Friday, March
5, from the Dort Financial Center in Shields’ hometown of Flint,
Michigan.
The winner of the women’s superfight will walk away with
Shields’ WBC and WBO titles, Dicaire’s IBF belt, and the WBA
(Super) crown, the first time in its 99-year history that the
WBA has awarded a Super Champion belt to a female boxer. In the
four-belt era, only seven fighters have been undisputed in one
division, including Shields, Katie Taylor, Cecilia Braekhus,
Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Terence Crawford, and Oleksandr
Usyk. Shields, if victorious, will make history as the first man
or woman to have become undisputed champion in two weight
divisions in the four-belt era.
With the pandemic taking a serious bite out of the sport in
2020, ‘SUPERWOMEN’ will demonstrate and celebrate the power and
empowerment of women in combat sports for 2021 and beyond by
providing an entire evening of fights featuring some of the best
female boxers in the world. Appropriately, the event is
dedicated to this year’s International Women’s day (Monday,
March 8, 2021) and its theme of #ChooseToChallenge, that looks
to call out gender bias and inequity and celebrate women's
achievements.
The most accomplished amateur boxer in U.S. history, 25-year-old
Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) is the first American boxer – male or
female – to win two consecutive Olympic Gold Medals. She turned
professional following the 2016 Olympics and headlined the first
women’s boxing main event in premium cable television history in
just her second professional fight in 2017.
Shields became Unified Super Middleweight World Champion in just
her fourth professional fight, the Unified Middleweight World
Champion in her sixth professional fight and Unified Super
Welterweight World Champion in her tenth fight. She now holds
the record for becoming a two- and three-weight world champion
in the fewest professional fights. Shields participated in the
biggest fight in women’s boxing history by beating Christina
Hammer for the Undisputed Middleweight Championship of the World
on April 13, 2019. On January 10 in Atlantic City, N.J., Shields
became the fastest fighter in history, male or female, to win
world titles in three different weight divisions by claiming the
WBC and WBO 154-pound world championships with a dominating
unanimous decision over Ivana Habazin.
“I’m excited to be fighting another undefeated champion and to
have the opportunity to make history by becoming the first
fighter – male or female – to be undisputed champion in two
weight divisions in the four-belt era,” said Claressa Shields.
“Headlining my first pay-per-view event with this historic
all-women’s card, particularly at such an important time in the
evolution of women’s boxing and around the International Women’s
Day celebration, is so meaningful to me. We’re going to put on
one heck of a show for the world to see. It’s one big step for
boxing and one giant step for Womankind. I can’t wait to fight
Marie Eve Dicaire on March 5.”
34-year-old Dicaire (17-0) is from Saint-Eustache, Quebec,
Canada, and started karate at the age of six. She worked her way
up through the ranks until she obtained her black belt. After
winning five world championship titles, Dicaire turned her
attention to boxing and won the IBF Super Welterweight World
Championship in December 2018 by dethroning Uruguay’s Chris
Namus at the Quebec City Videotron Center. In her last fight, in
November 2019, Dicaire defended her title for the third time
beating experienced Venezuelan Ogleidis Suarez by unanimous
decision. Dicaire will be fighting outside of the province of
Quebec for the first time on March 5.
“I'm happy to finally be able to get back in the ring and face
Claressa Shields,” said Dicaire. “It's been a year now that I've
been preparing exclusively for this fight. I'm used to making
history in women's boxing. I was the first woman to lead an
event in a major amphitheater in Canada. On two occasions, my
IBF defenses have been shown on pay-per-view in Canada. I have a
lot of respect for everything Shields has accomplished; I am
excited about this opportunity for my career and for the
advancement of international women’s boxing. Like Claressa I am
undefeated and, just like her, I am coming to defend my world
crown. We are going to have a lot of fun on March 5 measuring
our skills, without restraints, and putting on a grandiose and
memorable show. We have been waiting for this moment for a very
long time. I would like to thank all those who made this event
possible and I invite you to be there on March 5 in large
numbers!”
"Claressa will be fighting the toughest fight of her career,”
said Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions, “as she
strives to once again make history and do what no man or woman
has done in boxing against undefeated IBF World Champion Marie
Dicaire by winning a second undisputed world title. I am
thrilled to be the promoter of her first PPV main event on the
important weekend of International Women’s Day. March 5 is going
to be a Herstoric night inside and outside the ring live on PPV
from the Dort Financial Center in Claressa's hometown of Flint,
Michigan."
“Claressa Shields and Marie Eve Dicaire are not just undefeated
champions in the ring, they are fierce supporters of women’s
boxing and equality outside the ring,” said Mark Taffet,
President of Mark Taffet Media and Manager of Claressa Shields.
“At a time when too many networks in the US are under-supporting
women’s boxing, Claressa and Marie deserve tremendous credit for
taking matters into their own hands and agreeing to take their
undisputed world championship fight to pay-per-view. As the best
female fighter on the planet, and with the courage and broad
shoulders to carry the message of power and empowerment on
behalf of all female athletes, Claressa will not rest until
there is equality on every front in women’s combat sports. I am
proud of her, and I encourage men and women everywhere to
support this SUPERWOMEN pay-per-view fight event on Friday,
March 5, so that women fighters can continue to ascend.”
“From the first time I met Marie-Eve Dicaire, I knew she was
special,” said her promoter, Yvon Michel. “Her charisma and
social intelligence are only matched by her ambitions and
uncompromising determination to always prepare well and get
better as a boxer and a person every day. These are the same
traits I noticed when I first met Roy Jones Jr. and got to know
him in training camp. The fight against Claressa Shields and the
event on March 5 is going to happen because Marie wanted it and
insisted with conviction on doing whatever it takes to make it
happen, despite all the constraints. March 5 will be a great day
for IBF champion Marie-Eve Dicaire, you shouldn't miss it!”
The supporting bouts will highlight some of the best talent of
today and a look at rising stars of the future and is expected
to include outstanding undefeated 6-foot tall 198-lb heavyweight
Danielle Perkins, powerful undefeated Floyd Mayweather
Sr.-trained light heavyweight Nadia Meknouzi and super-talented
current WBA interim super welterweight champion Raquel Miller –
all in bouts to be announced over the next days and weeks.
As an amateur, Danielle Perkins was a 2019 Amateur Boxing World
Champion. With a dream of becoming world professional
heavyweight champion, Perkins registered an impressive victory
in her August 20, 2020, pro debut when she knocked down and
unanimously decisioned previously unbeaten Monika Harrison.
Already a world-class athlete standing 6’0” tall and weighing
197 pounds, Perkins was a standout collegiate basketball player
at St. John’s University where she led the team in rebounding
and blocked shots including two trips to the NCAA Tournament,
followed by a professional basketball career in Europe. After an
automobile accident left her critically injured and temporarily
paralyzed, Perkins underwent a rigorous rehabilitation program
for five years. Upon her recovery, Perkins dedicated herself to
boxing and quickly demonstrated great skill. She won the USA
National Championships, and then as a member of Team USA, won
the 2019 World Championships in Russia, becoming the first
American man or woman to win a world championship since Claressa
Shields won the gold medal at the world championships in 2016.
Perkins trains under the tutelage of trainer James Cooper.
Originally from the country of Morocco, Nadia “The Lion”
Meknouzi first rose to prominence around the globe in the
martial arts, achieving multiple black belts and remaining
undefeated for two years with 200 fights at 2 minutes each,
bringing home 40 gold medals. In July 1998, she was honored by
His Majesty the King of Jordan El Hussein, decreeing her, “Top
Female Fighter.” Meknouzi moved to the USA in the year 2000 and
gradually moved away from her combat-sport background. Meknouzi
met Floyd Mayweather Sr. in November 2018, who ordered her to
get back to training, regardless of her weight of 249 pounds.
After just two months, she had her boxing pro debut in December
2018. Meknouzi is trained in boxing by Floyd “Joy” Mayweather Sr
and Cromwell “Bullet” Gordon and also continues training in MMA
and plans to go back to competition July 2021. Away from
fighting, Meknouzi does stunt work in various projects and
films.
Known for her exciting, aggressive style, Raquel “Pretty Beast”
Miller (10-0, 4 KOs), from San Francisco, CA, won the interim
WBA super welterweight title in her last fight against the
previously unbeaten Alma Ibarra. She was a U.S. Olympic
Alternate, as she lost a close split decision to Claressa
Shields in the finals of the Olympic Trials, and she is
determined to avenge that defeat in the professional ranks.
Prior to winning her world title, Miller seized the NABF belt as
well. She was also a 2012 National champion, a silver medalist
at the Women’s World Championships and a gold medalist at the
2013 Colorado Springs Golden Gloves tournament.
About International Women’s Day
The first National Women's Day was observed in the United States
on February 28, 1909. In 1910, Europe established a Women's Day
to honour the movement for women's rights and to build support
for achieving universal suffrage for women. After World War II,
March 8 started to be celebrated in a number of countries. In
1975, during the International Women's Year, the United Nations
began celebrating March 8 as International Women's Day. In 1995
the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic
roadmap signed by 189 governments, focused on 12 critical areas
of concern; and the inclusion of Goal 5: “Achieve gender
equality and empower all women and girls” in the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development.
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