IBF Light Heavyweight Champion Lani Daniels.
From the rural hills of Pipiwai to the bright lights of Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, Northlander Lani Daniels is preparing for the biggest fight of her career.
Tomorrow the reigning IBF Light Heavyweight Champion will step up in weight to challenge America’s undefeated Claressa Shields — the undisputed women’s heavyweight world champion, who holds all four major titles.
While Daniels currently holds one of the four major belts in her division, a win in Detroit would make her the first New Zealander to unify all four heavyweight world titles.
“I’m not just representing myself,” Daniels said in a recent promotional clip.
“I’m representing my whānau, my hapū, my iwi, and all the wāhine toa who never got the chance to be seen.”
Daniels, 37, hasn’t fought since September when she beat Nigerian Bolatito Oluwole in Hamilton to retain her IBF light heavyweight title.
The fight with Shields will be the first time Daniels has fought outside of New Zealand.
Of Ngāti Hine and Ngāpuhi descent, affiliated with Te Orewai hapū in Te Tai Tokerau, Daniels is known for giving back to her community through free boxing training for youth in Pipiwai and in Whangārei.
A trained mental health nurse, she came to that profession and to boxing after personal struggles she suffered as a teen and in her early 20s following the death of her younger brother to leukaemia.
“Boxing saved my life,” Daniels has reportedly said. “It gave me purpose, discipline, and a way to give back.”
Under the guidance of coach Dion McNabney at Nabby’s Boxing Gym, Daniels became a two-time New Zealand amateur champion.
She made her professional debut in 2017, defeating fellow Northlander Trish Vaka by unanimous decision. Two months later, she beat Vaka again to claim her first national title — the NZPBA Light Heavyweight title.
After a brief retirement in 2022 due to burnout, Daniels returned stronger than ever, eventually capturing both the IBF World Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight titles.
This year, she received top honours at the Northland Sports Awards.
She currently trains in Auckland with John Conway.
Physically, she and Shields are closely matched. Shields, 30, stands at 173cm, with a 173cm reach, while Daniels is 169cm, with a 171cm reach.
Shields, known as the self-proclaimed GWOAT (Greatest Woman of All Time), is the only boxer — male or female — to become undisputed champion in three different divisions in the four-belt era. She has never been beaten in the ring.
At a recent press conference in the leadup to the fight, Shields tried to rile Daniels by saying: “I’mma lay your ass out, and then your coach will have to pick you up. I’m not playing around.”
Daniels, however, remained unfazed, reportedly saying: “Shields is the best. That’s why I want to fight her. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to fight the best.”
Her “walk-out” (entry) to the ring will feature footage filmed at Tau Henare Marae, showcasing her cultural pride and the support of her community.
“I carry my people with me into that ring,” Daniels said. “Win or lose, I’m going to show the world what it means to be Māori, to be from Northland, to be a fighter.”
Had the fight been scheduled for earlier this year, Daniels might have been the first Māori boxer to be crowned an undisputed world champion. However, that honour went to Cherneka Johnson, who made history in April by defeating American Shurretta Metcalf at Madison Square Garden.
Despite a height disadvantage, Johnson dominated the fight, landing 75 punches to Metcalf’s 21 by round eight. The bout was stopped for Metcalf’s safety, and Johnson raised her arms as the first New Zealand-born and Māori boxer to unify all four major titles in any weight class.
Watch Daniel’s fight on DAZN.com.
According to DAZN, Shields and Daniels are estimated to make their walks to the ring about 2pm.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.