DETROIT (AP) — Baker Mayfield took one step back, planted his left foot and took off for a zig-zagging, 11-yard touchdown run that gave Tampa Bay the lead for good in a playoff rematch.

Mayfield had an 11-yard TD on a designed run one snap after converting a third down with another 11-yard run late in the third quarter, and the Buccaneers beat the Lions 20-16 on Sunday in a playoff rematch.

“I wasn’t expecting to get to the end zone from that far out, but I made a couple guys miss,” Mayfield said after the longest touchdown run of his career.

Tampa Bay (2-0) fell behind only once in the closely contested game, and it stopped Detroit (1-1) when it had two chances to drive for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes.

The Lions turned it over on downs at the Bucs 6 with 53 seconds left and again at their 26 with 2 seconds left.

Lions coach Dan Campbell lamented a mistake he made in the first half, causing confusion for his offense and special teams that had both units on the field. That drew a flag that ran off the clock and took away an opportunity to kick a short field goal and pull within four points.

“I asked this team to improve and they improved, but the coach cost them the game,” Campbell said. “It is a massive error on my part. I messed up.”

If Detroit made that field goal, it potentially would’ve been a kick away from winning the game in the fourth quarter.

“It was fortunate for us,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles acknowledged.

Detroit QB Jared Goff threw two interceptions and got a break when defenders dropped two other passes that could have been picked off.

Goff finished 34 of 55 for 307 yards, and the offense he leads was 1 of 7 in the red zone.

“That’s ultimately the difference in the game,” he said. “If we score a couple touchdowns down there, we probably win the game.

“I think that’s a good team and we fought hard, but we made too many mistakes.”

Mayfield, meanwhile, was efficient through the air by completing 12 of 19 passes for 185 yards, including a tiebreaking 41-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin in the second quarter, with an interception. He also ran four times for 35 yards. Godwin had seven catches for 117 yards.

Detroit beat the Bucs 31-23 in the divisional round in January at home after a 20-6 win last October on the road, but couldn’t overcome its miscues and missed opportunities at Ford Field.

Takeaways from Lions’ 20-16 loss: Buccaneers spoil Aidan Hutchinson’s heroic day

"It's so big for everybody on this team to stick together and get a different outcome than the last time we were here," Mayfield said.

Bowles will not be surprised if the teams meet again in the postseason.

"If we can get there in January, I'm sure they'll be there," he said.

The Lions were relegated to field goals until David Montgomery ran for a go-ahead, 1-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.

Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson had three sacks in the first quarter and finished with a career-high 4 1/2 sacks.

"We tried chipping him and tried to do a lot of things," Bowles said. "He made our life miserable."

Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 receptions for 119 yards for the Lions.

Photo gallery from Lions’ 20-16 home loss to Tampa Bay

INJURIES

Bucs: DT Vita Vea left the game with a knee injury, and Bowles did not have an update on his condition after the game. Three starters — OT Luke Goedeke (concussion), DL Calijah Kancey (calf) and S Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) — were inactive with injuries.

Lions: LB Alex Anzalone was knocked out of the game with a concussion and starting DE Marcus Davenport (groin) was inactive.

UP NEXT

Bucs: Host Denver on Sunday.

Lions: Play at Arizona on Sunday.

Campbell takes blame for clock-management disaster as Lions lose to Buccaneers, 20-16

DETROIT (AP) — David Montgomery’s 1-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted the Detroit Lions to a 26-20 win over the Matthew Stafford-led Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night in a rematch of their NFC wild-card game.

The Lions lost a two-touchdown lead in the third quarter, but extended the game with Jake Bates’ tying 32-yard field goal in the final minute of regulation.

Detroit won the coin flip and took advantage of having the ball, gaining at least 9 yards on its first four plays in overtime to set up Montgomery’s winning score.

The Rams were in a position to spoil Detroit’s season-opening party when Stafford threw a go-ahead, 9-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter.

They just couldn’t make enough plays on both sides of the ball to hold on for the win.

Los Angeles put up quite a fight despite losing Pro Bowl receiver Puka Nacua and two linemen on its banged-up line.

The Lions had a 17-3 lead in the third quarter after Jared Goff threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams. They lost the comfortable cushion because their former star quarterback picked them apart and their current one threw an interception early in the fourth.

John Johnson intercepted Goff’s pass over the middle at the Rams 20, taking away Detroit’s chance to kick a field goal and restore its seven-point lead.

Stafford took advantage, leading a 10-play, 80-yard drive that he capped with the scoring pass to Kupp. He could not complete enough passes late in the fourth to keep the ball and seal the win, leading to a punt that gave Goff another shot from his 31 with 2:11 to go.

The Lions reached the Rams 14 and settled for Bates’ tying field goal that sent the game to overtime.

Rams coach Sean McVay may have regretted a decision he made in the second quarter.

With a chance to attempt a 40-yard field goal when it was tied at 3, McVay elected to go for it and turned the ball over on downs when Stafford threw an incomplete pass that targeted Kupp.

Photo gallery from the Lions’ 26-20 OT win on Sunday Night Football

It was a rare miss for the duo in Detroit.

Stafford completed 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards with a touchdown and an interception, lobbing a ball in the middle of end zone where Kerby Joseph was waiting early in the second quarter. Kupp matched a career high with 14 receptions and had 110 yards receiving.

Goff was 18 of 28 for 217 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Williams tied a career high with five catches and set a personal best with 121 yards receiving.

Montgomery had 17 carries for 91 yards and Jahmyr Gibbs ran 11 times for 40 yards — with both scoring a TD.

Takeaways from the Lions’ 26-20 overtime win against Rams

INJURIES

Rams: Nacua (knee) was hurt in the first half after catching four passes for 35 yards and didn’t return. … LT Joe Noteboom (ankle) was carted off the field in the second quarter after starting in place of Alaric Jackson, who’s serving a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. LG Steve Avila (knee) went down later.

Lions: DT D.J. Reader (leg) and S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle) were inactive.

UP NEXT

Rams: Stay on the road and play at Arizona on Sunday.

Lions: Host Tampa Bay on Sunday in a rematch from the divisional round of the playoffs, a game Detroit won 31-23.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has played in many marquee matchups in recent years.

Only the high-stakes games, including three straight trips to the College Football Playoff, did not happen early in the season.

Texas is coming to town this week and it doesn’t get much bigger than that, or better for college football fans.

The fourth-ranked Longhorns will provide a tough test on Saturday for the ninth-ranked Wolverines, who had the luxury of tuning up for Big Ten Conference play with soft schedules the last two years.

Michigan will find out quickly if the relatively low expectations for a defending national champion were merited or simply underestimated Sherrone Moore’s first team.

“It’s exciting for our players, for the program, for the fans,” Moore said Monday. “You want these type of games. You want these atmospheres. You want these building blocks to help you mold your team and really get where you need to be.”

Texas found out how good it was in Week 2 last season when it beat then-No. 3 Alabama and went on to make the College Football Playoff.

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said 46 current players experienced the victory over the Crimson Tide, showing them what it takes to win away from home.

“You have to have great poise and composure when you are in these type of road environments,” Sarkisian said.

The winner in front of more than 110,000 fans in the stands and millions of people watching on TV will get a boost for its bid to win a national championship while the loser still will have hope thanks to the expanded, 12-team playoff.

“Because of the new format, I like this matchup even more,” Sarkisian said.

The victors also will earn some bragging rights for the Southeastern Conference or the Big Ten.

Texas was dominant in its opener, clicking on offense with quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning while swarming on defense in a 52-0 rout of Colorado State.

Michigan, meanwhile, turned a closely contested game into a 30-10 win over Fresno State with an entirely rebuilt offensive line that struggled until late in the game.

A decade go, both schools announced their traditionally powerful programs would have a home-and-home series for the first time.

The first game is this week and the return trip to Austin is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2027. The Vince Young-led Longhorns beat the Wolverines on Jan. 1, 2005, in their only meeting, at the Rose Bowl.

In college football history, Michigan is No. 1 in all-time wins with 1,005 and Texas is No. 4 with 949 victories.

And finally, they’re facing off in the regular season.

“I’m super pumped,” Sarkisian said. “I love college football. To think these two iconic programs, with those iconic uniforms and iconic helmets meeting for the first time in the Big House … yeah, that’s awesome.”

The Wolverines kicked off their 2023 national championship season with mismatches against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green one year after opening with Colorado State, Hawaii and Connecticut.

Oddmakers don’t seem to think Michigan is ready for the challenge, making it an underdog by a touchdown, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

The Wolverines, though, say they will be ready.

“It’s going to be like Rose Bowls, Ohio State games,” said Michigan’s Will Johnson, a preseason All-America cornerback. “Those type of games, I feel like that’s when we play our best football.”

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Davis Warren and Alex Orji each threw a touchdown pass, Will Johnson returned an interception for a score and No. 9 Michigan started defense of its national championship with a 30-10 win over Fresno State on Saturday night.

The Wolverines (1-0) were sluggish on offense for much of the night, breaking in new quarterbacks behind a revamped offensive line and Sherrone Moore, who made his coaching debut as Jim Harbaugh’s full-time replacement.

The Bulldogs (0-1) trailed by just four points deep into the second quarter and 16-10 midway through the fourth before Michigan pulled away.

Warren, who beat out Orji to start at quarterback, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Colston Loveland to give Michigan a 23-10 lead with 5:43 left.

Johnson picked off a pass on the ensuing possession and returned it 86 yards, making the score lopsided in a game that was close for much of the night.

The game opened with Orji throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Warren, but the rest of the night didn’t go very smoothly for Moore’s team until late in the game.

Davis, a former walk-on who overcame leukemia in high school, was 15 of 25 for 118 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Orji was 1 of 2 with a 3-yard touchdown pass and ran five times for 32 yards. Kalel Mullings had 92 yards rushing on 15 carries for the Wolverines.

Mikey Keene completed 22 of 36 passes for 238 yards with a 19-yard touchdown pass Raylen Sharpe in the fourth quarter that pulled the Bulldogs within six points and two interceptions.

Fresno State’s Jalen Moss had six catches for 97 yards, including a leaping, twisting catch on a sideline.

THE TAKEAWAY

Fresno State: Tim Skipper may have improved his case to keep the job with a competitive showing, despite the final score. Skipper was named interim coach in July, shortly before training camp, after Jeff Tedford stepped down for health reasons.

Michigan: Six offensive linemen from last year’s team landed in NFL training camps this summer, turning a strength into a weakness. The Wolverines were unable to create holes for the running game and didn’t give their quarterbacks much time to throw until wearing down the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

AP poll voters may see the final score and keep Michigan in the same spot even after an uneven performance. The last time a national champion was ranked as low as the Wolverines were in the preseason poll was 2011, when Auburn was No. 23. Prior to that, the only time a defending champion was ranked worse than seventh was in 1991 when Colorado was No. 13 in the preseason.

UP NEXT

Fresno State: Plays Sacramento State, coming off a 42-24 loss to San Jose State, on Saturday at home.

Michigan: No. 4 Texas visits the Big House on Saturday after opening with a 52-0 win over Colorado State.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams had a 63-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and Michigan State barely beat Florida Atlantic 16-10 Friday night.

The Spartans (1-0) were sloppy in coach Jonathan Smith’s debut.

Aidan Chiles threw an interception on the game’s opening snap, recovered his fumble to end the second drive and Montorie Foster Jr. lost the football on Michigan State’s third drive.

It didn’t go much smoother in the second half.

Chiles had a chance to put the Spartans ahead by more than two touchdowns late in the third quarter, but Ed Woods stepped in front of a pass in the flat at the Florida Atlantic 2 and returned it 58 yards.

Cam Fancher converted a fourth-and-1 with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jayshon Platt, cutting the Owls’ deficit to six points.

Smith went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Florida Atlantic 9 on the ensuing drive, instead of kicking a short field goal for a nine-point lead, and Lynch-Adams was stopped short on a run early in the fourth quarter.

Smith’s defense responded, forcing the Owls to turn it over on downs at the Michigan State 41 with 6:53 remaining, but Chiles’ errant passes led to another punt and chance for the visitors to go ahead.

The Spartans stopped Florida Atlantic again on the next drive.

Fancher came up short on a fourth-and-1 run near midfield and nearly drew a targeting penalty that didn’t stand after review, but two penalties after the play pushed the Spartans back 30 yards.

Florida Atlantic’s defense gave Fancher another chance and he converted a fourth-and-8 with a 21-yard pass to Omari Hayes, but he could not move the sticks again and turned it over on downs with 1:23 left at the Owls’ 41.

Florida Atlantic (0-1) turnovers proved to be pivotal, hurting its chances of beating a team from a power conference for the second time in school history and first since a 2007 win over Minnesota.

Fancher, sacked for a safety in the first quarter, was picked off on consecutive possessions early in the second quarter.

Chiles’ 11-yard touchdown run and Lynch-Adams’ long run for a score gave the Spartans a 16-0 lead.

Chiles, who like Smith left Oregon State, was 10 of 24 passing with two interceptions. He ran six times for 28 yards. Lynch-Adams, a graduate transfer from Massachusetts, finished with 101 yards and a score on nine carries.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida Atlantic: Fancher, a transfer from Marshall, will have to learn a lot from a rough night. He was 12 of 25 passing for 116 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He ran 25 times for 67 yards.

Michigan State: Penalties plagued Smith’s first game with the program. The Spartans drew six penalties for 60 yards in the first quarter, including one for targeting that led to an ejection for defensive back Malik Spencer, and finished with 12 flags for 140 yards.

UP NEXT

Florida Atlantic: Host Army on Sept. 7.

Michigan State: Play at Maryland on Sept. 7.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The defending champion and ninth-ranked Michigan Wolverines will have a new coach on the sideline this season, starting a new era after Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.

Sherrone Moore gained some experience in the role in 2023, filling in four times for Harbaugh as he served suspensions early in the year and again at the end of the regular season.

“I think that makes it a lot easier of a transition,” Wolverines defensive tackle Mason Graham said. “He’s been here for a lot of years and everyone in the facility and at the university is really comfortable with him being here and then taking over the reins. I feel like that’s what everyone wanted. He’s been great so far.”

Like Harbaugh, Moore will lead the team with potential sanctions looming over the program from an NCAA investigation into an alleged sign-stealing and scouting operation.

These Wolverines, like last season’s team, will say their focus is on the field and will kick off the defense of their national title Saturday night at home against Fresno State.

“It’s a tough position to walk into, following coach Harbaugh and everything that he’s accomplished,” Michigan defensive end TJ Guy said. “I think (Moore) has done a great job. He’s kept it pretty similar for us, nothing too different.”

The Bulldogs are also breaking in a new coach who is familiar to them.

Tim Skipper was named interim coach in July, shortly before training camp, after Jeff Tedford stepped down for health reasons following a good run. Tedford had 44 wins, including four in bowl games, and a pair of Mountain West Conference championships. The Bulldogs finished in the AP Top 25 twice during his tenure.

Skipper’s father, Jim, was a longtime NFL assistant coach, and he’s not taking his team to the Big House just to show up.

“I never think about losing,” he said. “We breathe the same air. Why not go out there and try to win?”

UNDER CENTER

Fresno State may not have many advantages, but it does have more experience at quarterback.

Mikey Keene threw for nearly 3,000 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 11 starts last season. In a season-opening win at Big Ten member Purdue, he threw for 366 yards with four scores and was picked off once.

Michigan, meanwhile, plans to turn to turn to Alex Orji or Davis Warren to succeed J.J. McCarthy. Potentially, they both may get snaps against Fresno and one may emerge as the starter for next week’s showdown at home with No. 4 Texas.

Orji played in six games and had 86 yards with a touchdown on 15 carries last season, but didn’t throw a pass. Warren went 0 for 5 last year and was 5 of 9 for 89 yards in 2022.

UP FRONT

Michigan had six offensive linemen from last season’s team in NFL camps this summer, opening up five jobs to protect a new quarterback and open holes for a running game featuring Donovan Edwards.

“We don’t need five guys to play — we need 10,” guard Gio El-Hadi said. “We all have to be ready whenever our name’s called because people are going to get hurt. That’s how it goes in football.”

TALENTED TRIO

The Wolverines lost a lot from their first national title team, but three players are respected enough to make The Associated Press preseason All-America team: Graham, cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland.

ONE TO WATCH

Johnson might get a chance to do more than cover receivers and return punts as Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson did nearly three decades ago for the Wolverines when they won their last national title. Moore hinted earlier in the summer that Johnson might play on both sides of the ball.

“I’ve definitely been getting more comfortable with it,” Johnson said.

DETROIT (AP) — Russell Wilson and Justin Fields led touchdown drives for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost 24-17 to the Detroit Lions on Saturday in the preseason finale for both teams.

Jermar Jefferson rushed for two touchdowns for the Lions, including a go-ahead, 7-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t named Wilson the starting quarterback, but has said repeatedly that the veteran is in the “pole position” for the job.

The 35-year-old Wilson didn’t do anything in Detroit that would suggest he won’t take the first snap when the season kicks off in two weeks.

He completed both of his pass attempts, including a 32-yard toss to George Pickens. Two plays later, Cordarrelle Patterson scored on a 31-yard, high-stepping run to cap the game-opening possession.

Wilson spent the rest of the game on the sideline while Fields was given three drives to show what he could do. His performance was uneven.

Fields converted a third down with a run and threw a 22-yard pass to MyCole Pruitt on consecutive plays, setting up La’Mical Perine’s 1-yard touchdown run.

In the previous two preseason games, neither Wilson nor Fields led Pittsburgh to a touchdown.

Fields’ second possession ended when he was looking to the right in the shotgun formation as the ball was snapped. He recovered the fumble but was sacked. His third possession ended when he took another sack.

Fields finished 3 of 4 for 40 yards and ran twice for 4 yards.

Takeaways from Lions’ 24-17 preseason victory vs. Pittsburgh

The Steelers chose to start over at quarterback this season after Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky each got starts for a team that went 10-7 and lost to Buffalo in an AFC wild-card game.

Just days apart in March, Pittsburgh signed Wilson after he was released by Denver and acquired Fields in a trade with Chicago.

The defending NFC North champion Lions, meanwhile, didn’t put quarterback Jared Goff or any other key players on the field in the hopes of keeping them healthy for a season with high expectations.

Hendon Hooker started and after completing his first two passes, he was sacked on three straight snaps.

Hooker played extensively, giving him much-needed experience after he missed his rookie year with a knee injury. He helped the Lions scored touchdowns on their last two drives in the first half.

Hooker had a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jake Funk, then made plays with his arms and legs to help set up Jefferson’s first touchdown run.

Hooker was 12 of 20 for 114 yards with a touchdown and threw an interception to former Detroit defensive back Cam Sutton, who got some work in before serving his eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

UP NEXT

Detroit opens the season at home on Sept. 8 with a Sunday night matchup against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, nearly eight months after the Lions beat the Rams for their first playoff win in 32 years.

The Steelers open their season at Atlanta on Sept. 8.

Lions vs. Steelers preseason photo gallery

DETROIT (AP) — José Ramírez homered twice to give him 26 this season and had an RBI double, providing plenty of offense for Tanner Bibee and the Cleveland Guardians in an 8-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.

Ramirez’s second homer was No. 240 of his career, tying him with Albert Belle for second in Cleveland history behind Jim Thome’s 337. He has 25 multihomer games, one shy of the totals of Thome and Belle.

Bibee (9-4) kept the Tigers scoreless until they opened the seventh inning with three straight hits, including Dillon Dingler’s RBI double in his major league debut. That chased Bibee, who gave up two runs on seven hits in six-plus innings.

All-Star Josh Naylor, who was rested the previous three games, hit a three-run homer off in the three-run sixth that put Cleveland ahead 7-0

The AL Central-leading Guardians made a move on the eve of trade deadline, acquiring outfielder Lane Thomas from Washington.

Cleveland, whose winning percentage trailed only Philadelphia’s, is in the market for starting pitching.

Detroit, meanwhile, is expected to deal at least one player to bolster a contender’s rotation.

Right-hander Jack Flaherty was scheduled to start the series opener against the Guardians but was scratched. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said it would wrong for Flaherty and the Tigers to pitch him a day before the deadline.

The Tigers will also have to decide if it makes sense to trade All-Star Tarik Skubal, who is 12-3 with a 2.35 ERA. Dealing the 28-year-old Flaherty, who has a $14 million, one-year contract and can become a free agent, seems to make sense for a fourth-place team still trying to rebuild.

Flaherty is 7-5 in 18 starts with a 2.95 ERA. Since making his major league debut with St. Louis in 2017, he is 49-39 with a 3.64 ERA.

Detroit did make several moves before the game, including putting shortstop Javier Báez on the medical emergency list to attend to family matters.

Beau Brieske (1-2) got just two outs and gave up three runs and five hits in the first inning.

Detroit selected the contract of Bryan Sammons from Triple-A Toledo and the 29-year-old lefty gave up five runs and four hits over 7 1/3 innings in his major league debut.

UP NEXT

Cleveland RHP Gavin Williams (0-3, 4.50) is expected to pitch Tuesday.

DETROIT (AP) — Claressa Shields knocked out WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse early in the second round Saturday night, earning titles in a fourth and fifth division.

Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, moved up two weight classes to fight at 175 pounds as a light heavyweight and also claimed Lepage-Joanisse’s heavyweight belt. Her previous titles were at 154, 160 and 168 pounds.

She joined Roy Jones Jr. as the only two boxers in more than 100 years to win middleweight and heavyweight titles. That’s another feat that makes her one of the greatest athletes of all time in any sport, according to Shields.

“What I’ve been able to do in my career, from the amateur to the pros, I’m definitely top five,” Shield said. “If you want to put me up there next to Michael Jordan, Kobe (Bryant), Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali. I’m definitely in that conversation.”

Shields (15-0, 3 KOs) ended the first round with a series of combinations and started the second with more, barely breaking a sweat, and landed a flurry of shots that sent Lepage-Joanisse down for the third and final time 1:09 into the round.

Lepage-Joanisse (22-3-1) was on defense from the start of her short night.

Shields boxed for the first time since defending her undisputed middleweight title with a lopsided unanimous decision over Maricela Cornejo nearly 14 months ago.

In between bouts, she improved to 2-1 as a MMA fighter in February.

Shields gained 15 pounds, then lost five pounds, before weighing in at just under 175 pounds.

“I was able to eat a lot of pho,” she said. “Usually, I have to be careful with noodles in camp because of the carbs.”

She sparred against men, including one who weighs 190 pounds, and made some changes to her strength and conditioning program.

“Looking at Vanessa in her fights, she pushed girls back because her legs are very strong,” Shields said while promoting the fight during a visit to Detroit Lions training camp on Thursday, when Hulk Hogan also was there for a visit. “We made sure I have the power in my legs to push her back, and not get pushed back, and also really worked on the strength in my arms.”

Shields won gold medals in the women’s middleweight division at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, making her the first boxer from the United States to win consecutive Olympic medals. She is the only American to win Olympic gold in boxing since 2004 and was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation last October.

Shields was a big enough name to draw boxing to Little Caesars Arena for the first time last year and did it again, headlining a card with up-and-coming fighters with seats sold out on the floor and a lower level that was mostly full.

Thomas Hearns, the revered fighter known as “The Hitman,” watched from a front-row seat next to Jackie Kallen, who became the first female manager inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Michel Rivera (26-1) of the Dominican Republic, ranked 30th at 140 pounds, won with a split decision against Hugo Alberto Roldan of Argentina.

Julian Smith improved to 9-2 with a split-decision victory over 34th-ranked super lightweight Shohjahon Ergashev (24-1) of Uzbekistan.

Smith, a deaf boxer from the Chicago area, hopes his performance shows hearing loss isn’t an obstacle in the ring.

“It inspires me to show the world that people can do it, given the right access,” he said through an American Sign Language interpreter.