Claressa Shields honors two local leaders as 'Greatest Women of All Time'

Boxing will be the main event at Little Caesars Arena Saturday night. But for a few moments the spotlight will be on two local women who will receive awards as the "Greatest Woman of All Time," an honor bestowed by Flint native and two-time Olympic Gold medal boxer Claressa Shields.

Shields will present her GWOAT awards to Detroiter Dotti Sharp, who created an award to recognize local unsung women leaders, and 2024 International Boxing Hall of Famer Jackie Kallen. Shields said her position as a well-known boxer empowers her to highlight other women. "To be given an award brings more attention to their movement and people can wonder ‘why did they get that award?’," Shields said. "And then they’ll have more fans, more followers and more support.”

Sharp created the Power of One Dedicated Woman Awards with local nonprofit Michigan Community Resources to recognize everyday women doing extraordinary work across Detroit. This year’s awards program is slated for Aug. 20.

Over a decade, Sharp — whose own community work after retiring from a career in IT includes serving with Southwest Solutions, Covenant Community Care and the Judson Center — has made sure other women in her community shine. Now it’s her turn to be acknowledged.

“I am over the moon,” Sharp said about learning she would receive the honor from Shields. “Ever since then, I have been on top of Venus, Saturn, and Mars. All three together.”

Sharp said her sons Otis and Demone have been her greatest source of inspiration. After Demone passed away from colon cancer in 2018, Sharp described not wanting to work at first, but the memory of her son pushed her to continue. “I had to continue to help people,” she said. “Because that’s what he would have wanted me to continue to do.”

More: Special teams, special guests? Why not? These are Detroit Lions and this is the NFL

More: Detroiter plays Claressa Shields in new movie 'The Fire Inside'

In 1978, young mother and Oakland Press reporter Jackie Kallen was sent to interview boxer Tommy Hearns at Kronk Gym in Detroit. Kallen fell in love with boxing and looked for a way to become involved. She promoted boxers including Milton McCroy and Hilmer Kenty before making her managerial debut in 1988, which she described as “accidental.”

"PR was my business so I was comfortable," Kallen said. "But I met a young fighter named Bobby Hitz who didn’t have a manager and he gave me the opportunity to manage him. That opened the door for other fighters, and before long I had a whole group of fighters.”

Forty five years later, Kallen, 78, was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame and she sports her golden ring with pride. Kallen said receiving an award from Shields is meaningful.

“For her to recognize me, it’s very important,” Kallen said, “Because I’m from an older generation and to get the respect of this generation’s fighters means a lot to me. It means that I’ve made my mark.”

Kallen continues to make her mark as she passed out flyers for the upcoming boxing event she’s hosting “Knockout Skin Cancer” on Aug. 1 at Steinway Piano Gallery in Commerce Township.

For more information on Saturday's awards and boxing matches, go to ticketmaster.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Claressa Shields honors two local leaders as 'Greatest Women of All Time'