Claressa Shields will attempt to add the WBC and WBA middleweight belts to her collection in Atlanta on 15 August, and her promoter says a proposed collision with Britain’s Lauren Price would be best staged on American soil.
Big night in Atlanta precedes talk of transatlantic super-fight
Shields is set to face Kaye Scott at State Farm Arena in what would be her return to middleweight and an opportunity to become a three-time world champion at the weight. The bout — scheduled in the early hours of Sunday in the UK — sits behind talk of a future clash with Price, the unified welterweight champion and fellow Olympic gold medallist.
Dmitriy Salita, who promotes Shields, said the contest between two of the sport’s most decorated amateurs would be a major attraction and argued the encounter "belongs in the United States", while acknowledging that the UK remains an attractive option.
"We want to make this a mega-event, and I believe that fight belongs in the United States."
Salita said Shields had moved down to middleweight to create the biggest possible match-ups and noted the American had travelled to watch Price fight recently. He invited Price to be ringside for Shields’s forthcoming night in Atlanta, signalling an open door for negotiations should both camps agree.
Historic venue and commercial stakes
The promoter emphasised the significance of the date for women’s boxing, pointing out that it will be the first time a woman has headlined a combat sports bill at State Farm Arena. Salita predicted a sizable gate and described the occasion as an important milestone for Shields and the sport more widely.
Those commercial considerations are central to the push for a US location: staging the fight stateside would tap into Shields’s domestic following and, according to Salita, make it a larger pay-per-view or ticketed attraction. He did, however, leave the door ajar for a UK staging, saying the British market remains appealing.
- Date: 15 August (night of event, early hours in UK)
- Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta
- Stakes: WBC and WBA middleweight titles (Shields vs Kaye Scott)
- Potential future: Shields vs Lauren Price discussed by promoter
Legacy, timing and the wider women’s scene
Shields’s status as one of the generation’s most prominent fighters — she has labelled herself the "GWOAT" (Greatest Woman Of All Time) — means each outing carries a legacy angle. With Katie Taylor reportedly set to retire next month, Salita framed the Atlanta fight as another chance for Shields to consolidate a claim to being the global number one in women’s boxing.
Before any meeting with Price can be arranged, Shields must dispatch Scott. Salita described Scott as "ready and highly motivated" and predicted an electric atmosphere for the middleweight contest. If Shields regains the titles, the prospect of matching two Olympic champions with world crowns will become a compelling proposition for broadcasters and promoters on both sides of the Atlantic.
The promoter’s comments underline the increasingly international contours of elite women’s boxing: fights that might once have been pinned to a single national market are now being plotted with transatlantic appeal in mind, as commercial potential and legacy narratives expand alongside the sporting rivalry.
| Fighter | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Claressa Shields | Challenger / potential headliner | Moving to middleweight; aiming for third reign at 160lbs |
| Kaye Scott | Opponent | Fighting for WBC and WBA middleweight titles on 15 August |
| Lauren Price | Potential future opponent | Unified welterweight champion; invited to be ringside |
Whatever transpires in Atlanta, the combination of Shields’s profile and the novelty of a top-tier female headliner at a major US arena means the sport will be watching closely. If negotiations for a Shields–Price bout progress, the choice of venue will be debated as fiercely as the matchmaking itself.
