By: Sean Crose
She may well be the greatest of all female fighters. She has won gold medals, world titles and accolades. However, Claressa Shields has yet to get past Savannah Marshall, even though they fought in the ring once before, in 2012. Marshall won that amateur fight, but it has been Shields who has risen like a comet through the pro boxing ranks. . Now the two women will meet again, a decade after their first and only battle, at London’s O2 Arena. Not that Shields seems upset about it. In fact, she actually mimicked Marshall at a press conference promoting the fight on Thursday. “I don’t hate Savannah Marshall,” Shields said, “but I work harder, and her accomplishments show it.”
While there is no question that 12-0 Shields is the bigger name of the two fighters, Marshall, also 12-0, holds the WBO middleweight title. The fact that Shields now holds the WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight belts means that the winner of Saturday’s fight will be the undisputed middleweight world champion. They may seem evenly matched, but there are big differences between Shields and Marshall. Yes, they are from different countries and of different races, but what really separates these women is their respective fighting styles.
Shields, meanwhile, is a set of walking and talking abilities. She is simply more cunning and outmaneuvers opponents with impressive consistency. Marshall, on the other hand, is a knockout artist. In fact, the last time a Marshall fight went the distance was in 2018. For the record, that was eight fights ago. Marshall has only gone the distance twice. Shields has only stopped a fight early twice. Once again, the stylistic differences between the two undefeated champions are apparent. It’s also worth noting that Marshall is four inches taller than Shields, while Shields is four years younger than Marshall.
In short, there is plenty of intrigue ahead of Saturday’s matchup. Because the winner can truly become the best boxer on the planet. Considering the fact that women’s boxing is making huge strides, finally earning the respect and eyes it deserves, there’s a lot to be interested in here. With the brilliant fight between Katy Taylor and Amanda Serrano last April in New York, it will be interesting to see how Shields-Marshall plays out this weekend in London. The fact that Shields and Marshall don’t seem to like each other very much only adds to the drama.
