Savannah Marshall Looks to Overcome Femke Hermans and Claressa Shields!
Come April 2, WBO middleweight champion Savannah “The Silent Assassin” Marshall (11-0, 9 KO’s) will next go to war with Femke Hermans (12-3, 5 KO’s). The two will collide under the hot lights of the Newcastle Arena located in the United Kingdom. The match will stand as the third defense of Marshall’s title. Heading into this affair, the Silent Assassin will be viewed as the heavy favorite.
To her credit, sort of, Hermans is on a three-fight win streak since suffering back-to-back losses to Claressa Shields and Elin Cederroos, respectively. Yet, those three wins left a great deal to be desired.The soggy combined records of the opposition was 15-63-4. Gumming her way through this toothless level of competition is not likely to do anything to prepare her for the mobile, jabbing machine that is Marshall.
LONG-AWAITED RESOLUTION?
While its important for a professional fighter to win every match, this prizefight is especially critical for Marshall. That’s because her duel with Hermans will be the last hurdle she must clear before facing two-time Olympic gold medalist and undisputed super welterweight champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (12-0, 2 KO’s). The two have been on a seemingly unavoidable collision course for some time. For her part, the Flint, Michigan native took care of her own business when she toppled Ema Kozin back on February 5.
Their individual boxing journeys first became intertwined during the amateurs when Marshall defeated Shields in their only in-ring encounter. In fact, Marshall remains the only person to ever beat T-Rex in the pro’s or amateur ranks. This naturally is why Shields wants her get-back so badly. Since matriculating into the professional realm of fighting, it has been Shields who has pushed harder for this bout. Provided that Marshall defeats Hermans, as she is forecasted to, then we’ll see if Marshall’s long-ago win was a fluke or if she just has Shields’ number.
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By: Bakari Simpson
