Claressa Shields v Savannah Marshall: There Can Only Be One

October 15th sees one of boxing’s biggest rivalries reach a conclusion. Claressa Shields (12-0, 1-1 MMA) meets Savannah Marshall (12-0) for WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, WBF and The Ring middleweight titles at the O2 Arena in London. Alternatively, you can watch it with us at We Love Sport venues across the country.

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Sat 15 Oct | 5:30pm

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A 10-year feud – where’s it stemmed from? Little over a decade ago, Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall were competing in the amateur World Championships, where they met in the second round. Marshall won, handing Shields her first and only ever defeat. The animosity begins, as Shields believes that she fought against “Marshall, the referee and the judges” and it wasn’t a “fair fight”. This tournament was effectively a qualification tournament for the 2012 Olympics. Shields needed Marshall to win the competition, and she did. Fast forward a few months to the 2012 Olympics in Great Britain, Marshall was the heavy favourite. She lost in the quarter finals, whilst Shields ended up winning the gold medal at the Olympics, before eventually winning gold again in Brazil in 2016. The two-time gold medallist told Marshall that she “let her whole country down”, when she lost in 2012. The two fighters went professional less than a year apart. Savannah Marshall partnered with Floyd Mayweather’s Mayweather Promotions and coach Peter Fury, whilst Shields has been fighting for a title in every fight except her debut. Shields only has that one blemish on her record that enrages her. She stated that she cried about it for years, and only after her second Olympics win did she accept it, whilst Marshall suggests she’s “still whinging”. Whilst they’ve only met once, they’ve been in the same tournament many a time. Shields won gold in them all, whilst Marshall had to “witness it all”. What to expect Both are unbeaten as professionals, and as mentioned Shields has only lost once in both amateurs and professional (she does have a loss in Mixed Martial Arts though). Claressa Shields comes into the bout with most of the belts, only missing the WBO which Marshall holds. Marshall has the reach and size over Shields and the American has won 10 of her 12 fights by decision, convincingly beating all of her opponents. She’s referred to herself as the greatest woman of all time, as she’s been undisputed in other weight categories, but Katie Taylor might have something to say about that. Marshall’s career is very different. She didn’t come into the professional game with as much hype and hasn’t had the huge stages that Shields has had, however she has finished 10 of her 12 opponents. Marshall has finished 8 opponents in a row going back to 2018 and will be looking to put the pressure on Shields, similarly to 10 years ago. Date and Time This is the first ever all female fight card, and it takes place on the 15th of October, starting at 5:30pm. As usual for fights in England, the expected walk time for the main event is 10:30pm. Where and how to watch? The fight is in the O2 Arena, but we’re showing it LIVE at all of our We Love Sport venues. We’re aiming to bring the immersive feeling of the arena to the pubs and we’re hoping that all fight fans can join us for this spectacular clash of two boxing greats. Prediction It’s a genuine 50/50 bout with a genuine hatred between two fighters. They have respect for one another, but this one is going to be a war. However, Claressa Shields is going to have the same struggles she had a decade ago. Of course, both women have improved, but the opinion is Marshall scores a close points victory over Shields to take home all the belts. Savannah Marshall by Unanimous Decision  Full fight card (not yet finalised)
Claressa Shields (c) vs. Savannah Marshall (c) for the WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO middleweight titles Mikaela Mayer (c) vs. Alycia Baumgardner (c) for the WBO, IBF and WBC junior lightweight titles Caroline Dubois vs. Milena Koleva Lauren Price MBE vs. Timea Belik Karriss Artingstall vs. Marina Sakharov Ebonie Jones vs. Vanesa Caballero April Hunter vs. Erica Juana Gabriela Alvarez Shannon Ryan vs. Buchra El Quaissi Ginny Fuchs vs. Gemma Ruegg Sarah Liegmann vs. Bec Connolly Georgia O’Connor vs. TBA

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Sat 15 Oct |  5:30pm

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