Savannah Marshall thinks she gets Claressa Shields this year
If you let WBO World Middleweight champion Savannah “Silent Assassin” Marshall (10-0, 8 KO’s) tell it, she will lock horns with WBC, IBF, WBO and WBA World Super Welterweight champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (11-0, 2 KO’s) this year. The interest in this fight has been percolating for years but now it seems to be boiling over. Much ado has been made over the fact that Marshall is the only fighter to defeat Shields in the amateur or professional ranks. Due that fact the Flint, Michigan native has been foaming at the mouth to get her hands on Marshall for a bit of payback.
When the Silent Assassin initially matriculated in the pro ranks, fans and media members near immediately started asking about this prizefight. When first posed with the proposition, it was actually her team that displayed reluctance. It was their thought that she should acquire a bit more professional experience before taking on the decorated champion. So it was great to hear that their tune changed. It’s even better to hear Marshall tell Boxing Social she thinks she could get that treacherous tango this year.
“I do believe it will happen, just because of the size of it and the magnitude…Katie Taylor is fighting Tasha Jonas next weekend and that’s a massive fight, but I believe that Savannah Marshall versus Claressa Shields is ten times that. I do believe that it will happen and I believe that it will happen this year.”
“How can you proclaim yourself to be the greatest of all time and not take a fight with someone who’s got one belt who’s saying ‘fight me, fight me’; someone who, you know, criticized our opponents, criticized everything about her, ‘I don’t even rate her’. That on paper sounds like an easy win for you, so why wouldn’t you take it?”
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
Provided that her soothsaying proves to be accurate, Marshall had her own vision of how her showdown would differ from the amateur days.
“I think it’d be a totally different fight! We’re both a lot older, our styles have changed a lot. Its kind of the speed versus the power thing isn’t it? I think it’ll be a great fight for the fans, even the build up for that fight. So it’s an exciting week all around!”
There is no denying that this is a fun fight to speculate on. Obviously, they have history and a colorful backstory going into the bout. Beyond that, as fighters, Marshalls length, speed and movement may very well cause Shields a great deal of trouble. At the same time, T-Rex is fully qualified to put the hurt on the Silent Assassin with her sharp, hard shots and smothering style. So the only way we will find out who really is the superior specimen is if they get in the ring and chuck those knuckles! Let’s just hope that Marshall is correct and we get this fun bout later this year.
By: Bakari Simpson
