By: Sean Crose
It had been said that the postponed fight for the undisputed middleweight championship between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall would be rescheduled for October 15. Now it has become official. “New date. Same mindset,” read a Top Rank Twitter post that appeared Tuesday. Below that post was a promotional photo of the card. What makes Shields-Marshall a fight of particular importance is the fact that Marshall is the only fighter to have defeated Shields, albeit in the amateur ranks.
Of course, the Shields-Marshall fight was supposed to take place on September 10 at the O2 Arena in London. However, the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96 forced the fight to be postponed. The rescheduled card will still be at The O2, which has become the venue for some of boxing’s biggest bouts.
IBF and WBA junior welterweight champion Mikaela Mayer will also be on the card, engaging in a unification battle with IBF and WBA junior welterweight champion Alycia Baumgardner. The card will close on the same day as Deontay Wilder’s heavyweight showdown with Robert Helenius. Wilder’s fight, however, is taking place at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center, thousands of miles and an entire time zone from the O2 Arena. Die hards should be able to watch both events live hours apart without switching from one to the other.
