The numbers were good for the Claressa Shields gate again tonight.
Claressa Shields’ rematch against Franchon Crews-Dezurn at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit drew an official attendance of 18,732 fans tonight.
That’s according to most solid sources so far.
She is now a big star in her home State and across the country as well.
Here’s how she is doing at the gate in recent fights:
| Fight Date | Opponent | Venue | Attendance | Notes/Comparison to 2026 (18,732) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 26, 2025 | Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse (or similar; heavyweight title defense) | Little Caesars Arena, Detroit | 15,369 | ~18% lower; strong home draw but less hype than rematch rivalry. Tripled from some prior smaller arenas. |
| Dec 2024 (approx.) | Lani Daniels | Undisclosed U.S. arena | 15,300 | ~18% lower; notable for 71% female audience, showing fanbase growth but similar scale. |
| June 3, 2023 | Maricela Cornejo | Little Caesars Arena, Detroit | 11,784 | ~37% lower; $600k gate; solid for women’s boxing but pre her heavyweight dominance surge. |
| Oct 15, 2022 | Savannah Marshall | O2 Arena, London | ~20,000 | ~7% higher; all-female card record; international boost, but U.S. events lag behind UK crowds. |
| March 5, 2021 | Marie-Eve Dicaire | Dort Federal Event Center, Flint | <1,000 (limited due to COVID) | ~95% lower; pandemic restrictions capped capacity, minimal comparison to post-COVID booms. |
The above is impressive when you take it all into account.
All without one Laila Ali as well. Does she even need Laila Ali at this point?
Her star continues to grow and Ali’s becomes less relevant.
Laila Ali needs Claressa Shields at this point.
Here’s more on what the Detroit Lions can do in the NFL with Shields to cash in themselves on all the new worldwide and American success of Shields.
