After a brief postponement, due to the death of the Queen, Clarissa Shields and Savannah Marshall face off for all the Middleweight marbles and the title of ‘Undisputed’. We’ve previewed the fight and made a prediction of how we think it will unfold.
Shields vs Marshall Predictions
Where and when is the fight taking place?
The fight will be held at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday 15th October and will be broadcast live and exclusive on Sky Sports. The televised card will start at 6pm with the main event ring-walk taking place around 10.30pm. The card is a BOXXER and Top Rank co-promotion between Ben Shalom and Bob Arum.
The undercard fights are all female bouts and include:
- Mikaela Mayer vs Alycia Baumgardner – for WBC, WBO, IBO, IBF, and The Ring super featherweight titles
- Caroline Dubois vs Milena Koleva
- Ebonie Jones vs Vanesa Caballero
- Ginny Fuchs vs Gemma Ruegg
- Lauren Price vs Timea Belik
- Karriss Artingstall vs Marina Sakharov
- April Hunter vs Erica Juana Gabriela Alvarez
- Sarah Liegmann vs Bec Connolly
- Shannon Ryan vs Buchra El Quaissi
What’s been said?
The rivalry between these two women has been building for over 10 years, dating all the way back to their fight at the 2012 Amateur World Championships. Marshall dethroned the much-vaunted Shields on the way to the Gold Medal at just 21 years of age. Since that day, Shields hasn’t lost a single fight, winning two Olympic golds and has been undisputed twice in the pro game. Simply put, she is the GWOAT. However that loss to Marshall still hurts and Shields is desperate to correct the only stain on her career.
“I’ve been undisputed twice, this will be the third time for me. I’ve already been undisputed at 160lbs before. It means a lot to be undisputed. But it means more to avenge my only loss,” Shields said.
“I am the greatest woman of all time. I have proved that, but there’s still just that one blemish and she’s sitting here and I want to show her that, yeah, you beat me when I was 17. But I’m 27 now and I’ve grown a lot since I was 17. Mentally and physically, and I just want to keep proving I’m the best.”
Following that superb win for Marshall, her amateur career flattered to deceive, failing to medal at both 2012 and 2016 Olympics, but her boxing style and physique are probably more suited to the pro game and her ascent through the paid-ranks has been textbook.
Peter Fury: “She’s got devastating power in both hands. By far the hardest female puncher in history, going back and forward.
“I’ve got somebody who’s six foot, who can make various weights with ease, which is a gift in itself, who’s as bodily strong as some men, with weights, cardio. She’s a gifted athlete. The best of Savannah will be too much for anybody.”
Savannah Marshall to win – 11/10
Savannah Marshall is an absolute wrecking ball at this level. She is 12-0-0 in the professional ranks and with 10 KO’s to her name, has demolished anyone in her way. Shields is a superb fighter but is giving away almost four inches in height and she could find it extremely difficult to get past Marshall’s ramrod jab. Will Shields really want to get on the inside, when her opponent carries such immense knock-out power. She will have to try at some point and I think it will be her downfall.
Savannah Marshall to win by KO/TKO/DSQ/TD – 16/5
I just can’t see a world in which Clarissa Shields hurts Savannah Marshall, she has only two KO’s from her 12 pro fights and once Marshall knows she can’t be stopped, she will simply march forward and take out Shields in devastating fashion. I think we will be looking at a late stoppage, possibly in the championship rounds. Shields will likely win a lot of rounds while the fight lasts as she is such a skilled operator but I can see Marshall dropping her several times and eventually finishing the night in style.
