By Barry Holbrook: Unified women’s middleweight champion Claressa Shields vs. WBO champion Savannah Marshall for the undisputed championship has been postponed due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
The British Boxing Board of Control has decided to postpone the card.
This is a tough fight for both champions, particularly Marshall, 31 (12-0, 10 KOs), as he is giving up a lot in terms of hand speed and work rate against IBF, WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine. Shields champion (12-0, 2 KOs).
The lanky Marshall at 5’11 1/2″ does her best work on the outside, and she’s not up against an inside fighter like Shields, who unloads non-stop from tight spaces.
Shields – Marshall Billboard
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“They both believe in themselves, and I still think with the body of work, Claressa Shields is clearly producing more and having a lot of success, but this is Savannah Marshall’s moment,” Gareth A Davies told Pro Boxing Fans.
“I like the jokes that Savannah and Peter Fury played on Claressa Shields, who is a much more skilled gunslinger with her mouth. It’s a tough fight to pick. Stylistically, Claressa Shields does more in a fight; she is busier.
“Savannah hasn’t had to do that much, and she usually ends up hurting her opponents, and there’s not much to get back. Claressa is going to hit Savannah harder than ever in her professional career. I think it’s a very interesting fight.
“I am glad to know that 15,000 tickets were sold. It is a great event. These are two elite fighters. Savannah is very strong, very powerful and possibly one of the greatest punchers in women’s boxing,” Davies continued.
“She beat Claressa Shields in the amateurs, and Savannah was No. 1 in the world at middleweight at the time. Savannah has a win here. As Claressa said today, ‘I don’t know why everyone is holding on to 11 years; she had a victory over me as an amateur. What a thing.’
“It’s not a big deal in many ways, but in both of our minds, it’s a big deal. Claressa Shields wants to set the record straight,” Davies said.
