Shields vs. Marshall Preview
Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall are set for a big showdown in London at the O2 Arena on October 15. The winner will be crowned as the undisputed and unified women’s middleweight champion. Shields is the WBC, IBF and WBA champion and Marshall is the WBO champion.
Marshall (12-0, 10 KO) is coming off a third round KO victory over Femke Hermans in April to retain her WBO title for her third successful defense. Shields is considered the best women’s boxer on the planet and the only loss of her long amateur career came at the hands of Marshall. However, Marshall does not feel that the victory over Shields as amateurs means anything now.
“There was nothing that really stood out about that fight, it was just in my way towards becoming world [amateur] champion. It was the World Championships and punch for a point, the old scoring system. It was a preliminary bout, my first fight of the tournament, I won and just started thinking ahead to my next fight rather than thinking I've just beaten Claressa Shields, said Marshall.
“I remember everyone was talking about her before we boxed, and I think she was making quite big moves in America at the time. Later that year she won gold at the Olympics.”
The 31-year-old also stated, "Deep down, there's definitely hate there from her," Marshall said. "I have given up trying to understand her, she contradicts herself all the time.
"My win over her [in 2012] bothers her. I'm quite level-headed but she's the opposite, really emotional."
The Hartlepool native is set for the biggest fight of her career in her home country but does not seem to have the same animosity that Shields may have. "I don't hate her, she just gets on my nerves a bit.”
Shields (12-0, 2 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Ema Kozin in February for her first defense of the WBA, WBC and IBF belts.
The 27-year-old did not hesitate to comment on her 2012 fight with Marshall. “She couldn’t handle losing the [2012] Olympics. She hasn’t faced it yet because she let her country down. She has tried to live off beating me and winning the world championship in 2012 – but when she loses to me now she’s going to be distraught. She’s going to take the money, retire and say: ‘Even though I lost to Claressa in the pros I beat her in the amateurs.’ That’s all she’s ever had over me,” Shields said.
Shields continued, “I still did well in that fight. I chased her around the ring, I landed my punches. I thought I should have got a few eight-counts, but I was fighting against her, the ref and the judges. They gave it to her by 14 points to eight and I was just so disappointed and felt I had let my family down. But a few months later I became Olympic champion and gave them a lot of joy. I will give them even more joy when I beat Marshall in her home country.”
The Flint, Michigan native explained what separates her from Marshall now. “You gotta be great to survive all I did,” she says. “Savannah Marshall is gonna be shocked by the truth of that. There has been a lot of pain but you’ll all see how strong it has made me.”
The co-main event of the evening will also be for unified titles between WBO and IBF women’s junior lightweight title Mikaela Mayer and WBC champion Alycia Baumgardner.
The main card can be seen on ESPN+
