Unfinished Business: Claressa Shields renews her rivalry with Savannah Marshall – HERstory

By: Kirk Jackson

Unfinished business will finally be settled, as one of the most anticipated female fights of all-time will commence this weekend, Oct. 15.

The “GWOAT” (Greatest Woman of All Time) Claressa Shields (12-0, 2 KO’s) takes on “The Silent Assassin” Savannah Marshall (12-0, 10 KO’s) for the unification of titles at middleweight and for the distinction of undisputed status.

Also at the utmost importance, this card also features Mikaela Mayer (17-0, 5 KO’s) vs. Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner (12-1, 7 KO’s) in a unification bout for the WBC, WBO, IBF and The Ring super featherweight titles in the co-main event.

This is important because this is another step forward, highlighting prominent women, who are tremendous athletes, and many viewers get the opportunity to see them perform and showcase their abilities on the grand stage.

Hopefully this platform on ESPN/Sky Sports continues to enable other opportunities for women to shine.

This match-up is years in the making, as Marshall is the last person to defeat Shields (in which occurred in the amateurs) – albeit many spectators deem that decision controversial.

Nonetheless, the two don’t like each other, the two are undefeated professionals and are not only regarded as top fighters in their respective division, but in the sport.

Shields is already on the tier of all-time great and arguably the best to ever lace up the gloves already.

Claressa Shields List of accomplishments:

• Held multiple world championships in three weight classes (junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight).
• Undisputed female light middleweight title since March 2021.
• Undisputed female middleweight title from 2019 to 2020.
• The unified WBC and IBF female super middleweight titles from 2017 to 2018.
• Shields currently holds the record for becoming a two and three-weight world champion in the fewest professional fights.
• Shields is the only boxer in history, female or male, to hold all four major world titles in boxing—WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO—simultaneously, in two weight classes.
• Shields won gold medals in the women’s middleweight division at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, making her the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic medals.

If Shields defeats Marshall this weekend, not only does she avenge her only defeat as an amateur or professional, but she would become undisputed at middleweight for the second time and third time overall.

If Marshall this weekend, she arguably scores the biggest win in British boxing history.

“I think she comes up short, I believe I’m a better boxer than Claressa and believe I always have been,” said Marshall.

“Saturday couldn’t come quick enough, I’m just itching to get in there now. She can try knock me out, hurt me, if you’ve got it you’ve got it, if you haven’t you haven’t.”

“You couldn’t knock Ema Kozin out, couldn’t knock Hannah Rankin out. 12-0 as a pro and you haven’t learned to finish anyone. That’s concerning, you haven’t learned. ‘You’re gonna knock me out, you’re gonna knock me out?’, you keep asking because it’s in the back of your mind, you’re petrified that I’m going to knock you out and that’s why you keep asking and keep going on and on.”

Shields for her part, is adamant the knockout will transpire and there will be a savage beatdown delivered from her as she aims to make a statement, further displaying her claims as the best to do it.

“This is going to be my statement fight,” said Shields.

“I’m really excited to show that I am the greatest women of all time,” Shields continued. “Is Muhammad Ali the self-proclaimed GOAT just because he called himself the GOAT first? No. He accomplished everything he set out to do.”

“He had records; he beat the best guys when all the odds were against him. That’s me. Two Olympic gold medals, 12 world titles. Three different divisions. Two time undisputed. How is that self-proclaimed? No that’s people being self-stupid if they are going to say I am self-proclaimed.”

“I am not the self-proclaimed GOAT. Everybody calls me that. If you respect the game and if you respect women’s boxing, I’m at the top.”

Go head Queen.