As she prepares to bring big-time boxing back to Detroit on Saturday, June 3, boxing superstar Claressa “G.W.O.A.T” Shields has announced her “Night of a Thousand Stars” initiative that will provide 1,000 tickets to the youth in Detroit and her hometown of Flint to attend her showdown against Hanna Gabriels at Little Caesars Arena.
Shields will be partnering with Kronk Boxing Gym and the Emanuel Steward Champions Of Tomorrow (ESCOT) to provide free tickets to 14 local programs that provide various services for youth in these two cities, programs similar to those that Shields herself participated in as a child, and which helped eventually launch her on the path toward superstardom.
“There’s nothing more meaningful than helping the kids,” said Shields. “I want to give hope to the hopeless and help to those less fortunate than me, and let them know I come from the exact same streets that they come from. I want them to know that even though circumstances sometimes look like you can’t make it, keep striving and you will.
“I’m a real example to them of how they too can realize their dreams. On June 3, when I fight and win, it will be for them as well as for history.”
“We are excited to celebrate and recognize the youth of Detroit in a way that is fitting and impactful.” said Jeff Styers, Managing Partner of Kronk and Founder of Emanuel Steward Champions Of Tomorrow (ESCOT). “The Claressa Shields return to Detroit is an excellent way to accomplish this both for our youth and the city as whole.”
Before the main event on fight night, an announcement in the ring will be made and acknowledge the children in attendance. With the arena lighting dimmed, the kids will each hold up a light that will luminate the venue and deliver “one thousand stars”, highlighting the importance of these groups to the community at large.
The full ledger of the 14 groups participating are listed below and make up one of the largest programs of its’ kind ever executed at a boxing event:
- · Kronk Boxing Gym
- · ESCOT (Emanuel Steward Champions of Tomorrow)
- · Flint Boys & Girls Club
- · Claressa Shields Community Outreach Corporation
- · PAL of Detroit
- · Detroit Police Department Youth Program
- · Downtown Boxing Gym
- · YMCA of Detroit
- · All Star Aquatics Youth Program
- · Mosaic Youth Theatre
- · Superbad Boxing Gym
- · Crowell Recreation Center
- · Teen Hype
- · Motor City Wolverines
Tickets for the live event are on sale now and can be purchased through 313Presents.com, Ticketmaster.com and the XFINITY Box Office at Little Caesars Arena. The event is promoted by Salita Promotions and 313 Presents and streams live on DAZN in the U.S. and Canada.
