After a dominant performance on Saturday night, the victor Claressa Shields got into a ward of words with former amateur opponent, Savannah Marshall. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have seen the clip of the two going back and forth, with Marshall arguably gaining the psychological edge, clearly getting underneath Shields’ skin.
.@SavMarshall1 & @ClaressaShields clash in a huge argument! 😡
WE. NEED. THIS. FIGHT 🍿@BOXXER 💥 pic.twitter.com/BE005kArdf
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) February 5, 2022
Throughout the exchange Marshall threw insults at Shields stating:
“If you perform like that against me, I’ll absolutely wipe the floor with you… Wind your neck in… You just went ten rounds with an absolute child, people were walking out. Pillow fists. That was embarrassing.”
The exchange came after Shields dominated her opponent, Ema Kozin to a 10 round victory, her eighth straight decision victory inside the ring. Without a doubt, the Olympic gold medalist is one of the most skilled boxers in the sport today, her distance management and overall decision-making as well as her ring IQ makes her a problem for anyone. A slight criticism, however, is that she rarely finishes her fights. Of her 12 professional wins, only two have come via finish, both in 2017. Is this because Shields doesn’t possess power? Possibly. But there is no doubt that if women were able to box three-minute rounds, we would see a lot more finishes in the female side of the sport. Marshall pretended to fall asleep during Shields’ bout, implying that she has a boring style.
Savannah Marshall pretending to be asleep at ringside during Claressa Shields vs Ema Kozin… pic.twitter.com/06uNK0VI6F
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 5, 2022
Her potential future opponent, Marshall is a prolific finisher, however. Of her 11 professional wins, nine have come via knockout. She’s finished seven opponents on the spin and hasn’t gone to a decision since 2018. Back in action on March 12th, Marshall is arguably looking ahead to a potential summer clash with Shields. Marshall, when talking to Sky Sports said:
“100% (about whether her and Shields are destined to fight). She’s game, I’m game”
Marshall is next in action against Belgium’s Femke Hermans. Hermans has never been stopped in her professional career, suffering just three defeats, one of which was against Shields in 2018. If Marshall can stop Hermans in their March bout, it’s a huge statement and will go a long way in her pursuit of an undisputed fight against Shields.
Featured Image
Embed from Getty Images
