Claressa Shields has a bone to pick with Savannah Marshall
When last in the ring, WBO World Middleweight champion Savannah “Silent Assassin” Marshall (10-0, 8 KO’s) roughed up and knocked out late-replacement Maria Lindberg. While it was Lindberg’s seventh professional loss, this was the first time that she has been stopped within the distance. Like clockwork, in the aftermath, Marshall was questioned about undisputed super welterweight world champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (11-0, 2 KO’s).
This is due to the Silent Assassin being the only person, professional or amateur, to defeat Shields. Due to this reality, their names have been sutured together since that amateur victory. As professionals, the desire to see these two clash again has been on a steady rise. Luckily, it appears to be coming closer to a reality.
Initially, once in the professional arena, it was team Marshall that was not so gung-ho about staging the match. Times have changed. Not only is the Silent Assassin more than willing to chuck knuckles with Shields, she believes T-Rex is scared of her! That or she is merely trying to goad T-Rex into a showdown. Either way, Marshall and her handlers are publicly campaigning for the fight.
RUN IT BACK!
In a recent interview conducted with Fight Hype, Shields explained in depth her feelings toward Marshall. Not only is she down to trade leather with the UK native, she insists that she’s been aching for that fight since the amateurs. Going a step further, Shields adamantly believes that Marshall is the one quaking in her gym shoes.
“I faced off with her, I will give you what you want. I will give you all that energy and I will fuck you up! That let her know right then and there, I’ve never been afraid of you! I’ve always wanted to run it back and fight you! 2012, the world championships, she beat me. Three months later was the Olympics. I won the Olympics, she lost. 2014 world championships, I won, she lost.
“2016 world championship, she got fourth place bronze, first place gold myself. Then we go to the Olympics again, she is there again! Loses. And what’s funny about all these losses after she beat me, she lost the day before every day before we were supposed to fight again. You had to win one fight and you can fight against the beast and you lose every time? It’s a mental blockage for her! I know that!”
MONKEY GREASES THE GEARS
Whether she is down for the fight or is legitimately mentally stymied is growing irrelevant. Both women are openly gunning for the bout, so it should make it that much easier to make. The only potential stumbling block could be financial. Yes, Shields is itching to sock Marshall in the mouth. However, that is contingent upon her getting paid to do so!
“Come on now, play with somebody else! I’m not going put my life on the line for boxing and do it for cheap. So she can say what she want, ‘oh Claressa is scared of me, she doesn’t want it.’ I gave Eddie Hearn my number and he said on national TV, ‘I got the money, I’m the big money man yada, yada, yada.’ Alright! Well then send the contract with the money that I asked you for bro!”
“If you are really going to put on for women’s boxing, put on for women’s boxing!”
Ideally the two camps will come together and work something out. It is a meaningful fight with an engrossing years-long backstory. Yet, if boxing history has taught us anything, until the two fighters are in the ring, nothing is guaranteed! So just keep those fingers crossed and let’s hope it gets across the finish line.
By: Bakari Simpson
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