Updated

Updated · Variety · Aug 16

Claressa Shields Challenges Kaye Scott for 2 Middleweight Titles in 10-Round Atlanta Fight

Updated

Updated · Variety · Aug 16

Claressa Shields Challenges Kaye Scott for 2 Middleweight Titles in 10-Round Atlanta Fight

Q: What secret framework is already in place for a transatlantic mega-fight between Claressa Shields and unified champion Lauren Price?

The “secret framework” is not a signed contract, but an informal deal structure that Claressa Shields’ team says was already outlined during her trip to Wales for the April face-off with Lauren Price. Shields’ promoter, Dmitriy Salita, told Sky Sports that when Shields went to Cardiff, “we believed we had the framework of a deal in place, and we’re still operating in that spirit.” In practical terms, that means both sides had advanced enough in talks to sketch the broad terms of a future fight even though paperwork was not finalized. The key elements appear to be clear. Shields has dropped back to 160 pounds specifically to make the Price fight viable, while Price, the unified welterweight champion, has indicated she is open to moving up in weight. Both camps also recognize the commercial scale of the matchup: two Olympic gold medalists, both unbeaten, from the United States and Britain. Venue remains the biggest unresolved piece inside that framework. Salita has described the bout as a “mega-event” that he believes belongs in the United States, though he has also left the door open to the UK. Timing has also been discussed publicly, with Shields saying after beating Kaye Scott that she wants the fight in December or January. So the framework already in place is essentially a provisional understanding on the fight’s basic shape — Shields at middleweight, Price moving up, and both teams continuing negotiations around date, venue and final financial terms.

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Aug 16

Claressa Shields meets Kaye Scott on Aug. 15 at Atlanta's State Farm Arena in a 10-round bout for Scott's WBA and WBC middleweight belts.
18-0 Shields is dropping from heavyweight after defending her undisputed title in February, while Scott enters as the 5-1-1 Australian champion at middleweight.
DAZN will stream the card from 8 p.m. ET, with the main-event ringwalk expected around 10 p.m. ET; the service lists access starting at $24.99 a month.
The Atlanta event also includes Ernesto Mercado vs. Emmanuel Tagoe and Caroline Veyre vs. Bernice Ferreira, with Shields saying she hopes Beyoncé walks her out.