Danielle Perkins Wins WBA Light Heavyweight Title on Shields Card, Eyes Unification at 175
danielle perkins defeated Che Kenneally to claim the WBA light heavyweight championship on the undercard of Claressa Shields' rematch with Franchon Crews-Dezurn in Detroit, a victory that immediately reshapes title prospects at 175 pounds. The win came on a high-profile DAZN card at Little Caesars Arena and positions Perkins to pursue unification under the promotional umbrella of Shields' T-Rex Promotions.
Development details: Danielle Perkins' WBA title win and promotional link to Shields
Perkins, who entered the bout with a 5-1 record and two career knockouts, took the WBA light heavyweight strap by stoppage in a decisive finish that followed a planned pressure sequence. The card opened at 8 p. m. ET and the main-event ring walks were expected near 11 p. m. ET. Her promoter is now T-Rex Promotions, the company run by Claressa Shields, who earlier beat Perkins in their undisputed heavyweight title fight.
The fight ended with a single fight-ending sequence: Perkins pressured, created an opening with a half-step and then landed the fight-finishing right that left Kenneally unable to continue. Observers noted a pronounced mouth bleeding on Kenneally at the stoppage and quick replay attention to the one-punch knockout. Post-fight comments from Perkins signaled a readiness to face top opponents in the division, naming several challengers she wants next.
Context and escalation
Perkins' climb to the WBA belt follows a loss to Shields a little more than a year earlier, a loss that led to a direct line to Shields and, ultimately, a promotional relationship. Shields reached out after their bout, then signed Perkins to T-Rex Promotions, an action that placed Perkins on the undercard of Shields' rematch with Crews-Dezurn and gave her the platform for a title shot.
Weight classifications in women’s boxing have played a role in the matchup landscape. Perkins’ professional weights shifted markedly: she was between 195 and 198 pounds for her first three pro fights in 2020–21, then returned after a three-year layoff at between 175 and 178 pounds in her most recent three outings. In the undisputed meeting with Shields, she weighed 177. 25 pounds. Governing bodies differ—WBA only established a heavyweight division when Shields fought Perkins, and the WBC designates anyone above 168 pounds as a heavyweight—creating overlap that affects which belts and opponents are available to fighters near 175 pounds. What makes this notable is that those classification quirks have both limited and created opportunities in the division, allowing Perkins to campaign at light heavyweight while engaging with heavyweight-era matchups.
Immediate impact
Perkins’ capture of the WBA belt immediately alters the division’s hierarchy. She has declared an intent to run at light heavyweight and to pursue the remaining titles, explicitly naming interest in fights with Shadashia Green and Savannah Marshall. Promoters have also identified Sarah Scheurich, a 7-0 fighter with four knockouts who won the IBF belt in December, as a logical unification target should negotiations proceed.
The platform created by being on Shields’ card amplified Perkins’ outcome: the undercard included other notable results, including a heavyweight stoppage that ended in the fifth round, further underscoring the event’s reach. For Perkins, the immediate consequence is a jump from contender to active titleholder at 175, altering matchmaking leverage and commercial visibility with a major promoter backing her run.
Forward outlook
With the WBA belt in hand, Perkins is scheduled only indirectly by the card on which she won: Shields remains engaged in a rematch with Crews-Dezurn that closed the night. Perkins has publicly expressed the intent to clean up the division and to seek the remaining belts; promoters have pointed to a potential unification bout with the IBF champion as a next-step possibility. There are no confirmed dates for future unification bouts in the material presented, but the immediate milestones are clear: Perkins will defend the WBA title from a platform tied to T-Rex Promotions and will be marketed toward other 175-pound titleholders for consolidation talks.
As she moves forward, the combination of a promotional alliance with Claressa Shields and a high-profile knockout victory has converted a post-defeat outreach into a concrete championship trajectory, one that could reshape a narrow light heavyweight division if Perkins follows through on her public challenges.
