SHIELDS PROMOTER SALITA INVITES JAKE PAUL RINGSIDE AT NEXT SHIELDS BOUT

Kevin Rogers Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

CLARESSA SHIELDS PROMOTER DMITRIY SALITA: "I INVITE JAKE PAUL RINGSIDE TO CARDIFF FIGHT NEXT WEEK TO CONTINUE TO GROW WOMEN'S BOXING."

"My purpose is the growth of our sport and in this situation specifically women's boxing. Claressa is an American hero who has done things that were never done before and continues to move the needle for women's sports all over the world. For equal pay, equal exposure, and opportunities inside and outside the ring, I am open to constructive conversations with Jake Paul on how that can be achieved."

"I attended Jake’s first fight with Woodley and now I invite him to be ringside for Claressa’s next fight on February 5th which will air live on Sky and on Pay Per View in the USA."

"Our goal is to continue to grow women's boxing. Claressa and Jake Paul are stars in their respective fields. The more people know the story, the struggle, the skills, the amount of work that led to the growth of women's boxing, the better it is for the sport."

DMITRIY SALITA: I INVITE JAKE PAUL TO COME RINGSIDE TO 'AMERICAN HERO' CLARESSA SHIELDS' FIGHT IN CARDIFF CAMPAIGN FOR EQUALITY ALONGSIDE

"Claressa is the first woman in the history of the sport to be a main-event fighter on premium cable television on Showtime. Her incredible progress and desire to lift other women fighters is second-to-none. She is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, the only man or woman to do so in US history. She is a three-division world champion, faster than any man or woman ever. She did all of that while growing up in Flint, Michigan."

"If you are a person with a heartbeat, who has a basic understanding of what it takes to compete in sports at the highest level, you bow with respect to Claressa’s incredible accomplishments personally and professionally."

DMITRIY SALITA: CLARESSA VERSUS SAVANNAH MARSHALL BELONGS ON PPV...IT’S A MODERN-DAY SUGAR RAY LEONARD VS TOMMY HEARNS

"I'm sure Savannah is going to be ringside, so I'm sure Claressa will want to send a statement to her and to the British boxing fans to let them know that she is the GWOAT and that she’s coming with mean intentions to avenge her only loss in her boxing life. Boxing needs super fights to make it mainstream."

"Shields v Marshall belongs on pay-per-view. They are both elite fighters at their peak. I would really compare it to Sugar Ray Leonard v Tommy Hearns. Sugar Ray was an Olympic Gold Medalist, a young flamboyant superstar. And Hearns was this mean, underachiever as an amateur, trying to make his way in the pros. So a lot of the stories between Sugar Ray and Hearn, and Claressa and Savannah, align in some ways."

"Media has been very positive towards Claressa, she’s been on television, she’s an Olympic Gold Medalist - and Savannah has not. Savannah has some personality similarities with Hearns and a similar build; she is tall, skinny, and long, so I feel there's a comparison there. Both of these champions, Claressa and Savannah, want to put it all on the line and make it as exciting and as memorable as that great welterweight clash."

DMITRIY SALITA: MMA HAS RAISED CLARESSA'S PROFILE AND MADE HER A BETTER BOXER AHEAD OF HER FEBRUARY DEBUT FIGHT IN THE UK

"Boxing is who she is. She can wake up out of bed at 3 o’clock in the morning and you tell her to throw a hook and a right-hand combination and she’ll do it without thinking about it twice. If you wake her up at 3 o'clock in the morning and tell her to do a roundhouse kick and grapple with somebody it’s a different story.

"Obviously boxing is second nature to her and she’s happy to come back to the sport she loves and to conquer new territory, making her debut in the UK; the plan is then to lead into a bigtime fight with Savannah Marshall."

"The MMA training has made her a better boxer; it’s made her more athletic. She’s learned more about her body and about nutrition, so there are things she learned as an athlete that is going to improve her game. The MMA training definitely helped and it also helped her profile. She’s fought on ESPN and ESPN+, there have been some documentaries on her, so I believe it helped broaden her reach beyond the sport of boxing and bring in some of the MMA fans, who I am sure are going to tune into her fight."

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Kevin Rogers

Kevin has been handicapping professionally since 2007 at VegasInsider before shifting to ScoresAndOdds. He focuses on MLB, NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball, and NHL and mainly uses trends, systems, and situations as his top handicapping angles. More from Kevin Rogers