Claressa Shields can’t fathom how she’s seen as the underdog in certain circles as she enters her long-awaited showdown with Savannah Marshall.
Though her British rival beat her in an amateur bout 10 years ago, Shields won two Olympic gold medals, became a three-weight world champion as a pro, was the all-unified champion in two of those divisions and hasn’t lost. a boxing match since Marshall outscored her 14-8 at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in May 2012. Marshall, meanwhile, appears to have gotten more attention for beating Shields as an amateur than for winning a heavyweight title. A vacant WBO middleweight title at the time in October 2020 that only became available because Shields dropped down from the middleweight division to compete at 154 pounds.
Shields expressed some dismay at a news conference Thursday in London, where he reminded Marshall and others of the undeniable differences between their amateur and professional careers.
“It’s going to feel good to silence a little bit everyone who’s hesitating about, you know, this knockout power and the lack of my skill and the lack of my accomplishments, or whatever the case may be,” Shields said. “Because, you know, I’ve never seen anything like that in boxing before. Not every woman’s card, because that’s great. But someone who lives from an amateur wins for 10 years. God!
“I mean, sometimes I think about it and I think, it’s like they’re trying to erase everything that I’ve done in the last 10 years because I’ve been dominant in boxing for a decade, since I was 17 years old. he didn’t win the Olympics and then had a terrible career. It’s like, I’ve won the Olympics, I’ve won it again, I’ve turned pro, I’ve won titles and it’s like, ‘Wow! It’s still not enough for you. OKAY.’ ”
While the outspoken Shields isn’t shy about voicing her opinions, Marshall is quiet and reserved.
“The Silent Assassin” wouldn’t even specifically predict a knockout on Thursday. Marshall would just say that he will “hurt” Shields and let his opponent “wake up on the mat.”
Marshall, 31, indulged Shields in some trash talk on Thursday, but the WBO champion is much more focused on proving she is the superior fighter in her 10-round, 160-pound unification bout for middleweight. the IBF, the WBA, the WBC and the WBO. titles on Saturday night at London’s O2 Arena.
Fans believe they heavily favor Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs) in his home country, but that handicap has only provided more motivation for Shields (12-0, 2 KOs).
“I’m here to fight whoever [the] The UK considers the best,” said Shields, who was listed as a slight favorite by Caesars Sportsbook on Thursday. “I’m here to fight whoever [the] UK considers the knockout punch, right? And I am here to show you that I am a very special talent, that champions are not made, they are born and that I was born to do this. So that’s why I’m here. I’m happy to be here with the naysayers, the doubters, and the fans. I love you guys. It’s going to be a great show and you’ll all be fans afterwards.”
Shields, 27, has dismissed Marshall’s high rate of knockouts (83 percent) as a byproduct of mostly opportunistic matchups. The self-proclaimed “GWOAT,” short for “greatest woman of all time,” insists that Marshall has primarily reveled in smaller, outmatched opponents, many of whom have agreed to box Marshall with varying degrees of anticipation.
Still, Marshall apparently is the puncher in this fight, as Shields has gone the 10-round distance in eight straight fights, albeit against a higher level of opposition. Still, Shields feels his superior skills, intelligence, and athleticism will allow him to overpower the taller, tougher Marshall.
“When I win Saturday night, it’s going to be, you know, it’s going to be a big win for me,” Shields said. “I know this is not my first undisputed fight. This is not the first time that I have had a very, very tough training camp and I am the loser. This is not my first time. I’ve done it many times and I’ve always come out victorious.”
If the show is allowed to go ahead, then the 10-round grudge match between Shields, from Flint, Michigan, and Marshall, from Hartlepool, England, will headline a Sky Sports broadcast starting at 7:30pm BST in the States. Joined. Kingdom and Ireland. ESPN+ will air the Shields-Marshall card in the United States, where its coverage is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET.
The full card will potentially be postponed to a later date, due to a period of mourning in connection with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. The boxers are scheduled to make weight on Friday, should the early card be allowed to continue.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
