Savannah Marshall Claims Claressa Shields Wanted Too Much Money For Rematch
On June 17, Savannah “The Silent Assassin” Marshall (12-1, 10KO) will face undisputed super middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn (8-1, 2KO). The high stakes prizefight is a fortunate opportunity given that Marshall is coming off a unanimous decision loss. In that duel for undisputed at middleweight, The Silent Assassin fell short against 3-division champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (13-0, 2 KO’s).
The defeat in her own Greenwich backyard, the first of her professional career, must have been a tough blow. Naturally, one would think that Marshall would have loved to get a shot at revenge. For her part, Shields has remained extremely vocal about her willingness to supply The Silent Assassin a chance for redemption. Her only stipulation being that Marshall would need to travel to the US to make the fight a reality. T-Rex has maintained this stance since the conclusion of their professional brawl.
RELATED: Shields On Marshall Rematch: “I Would Love To Run It Back In America!”
CONFLICTING MESSAGES
When it comes to Team Marshall, however, the talking points are not so seamless. When speaking on the matter, Peter Fury, Marshall’s chief second, stated that he was unsure why the rematch did not take place. He made those comments at the first official presser for Crews-Dezurn versus Marshall. The Silent Assassin herself claimed that she heard money was the fight breaking issue.
“I was told it’s because she [Shields] wanted too much money, I was told that she priced herself out. Whether or not that’s true, that’s what I was told.”
RELATED: Crews-Dezurn Warns Marshall: “She’s Going To Have A Very Long Night!”
When it comes to the murky, behind the scenes nature of boxing politics there is no way to be sure what’s real on the outside looking in. With that being said though, it does seem odd that trainer and fighter don’t seem to be reading from the same script. Putting that disjointed narrative to the side, Marshall is still staring a grand opportunity in the face.
Not only can she still become an undisputed champion, she can do so by defeating a close friend of Claressa Shields. Obviously, that is not the same as toppling Shields herself but it is a small measure of retribution. Furthermore, it may be the spark to ignite the rematch that she says she wants.
First things being first though, Marshall has to take care of business with Crews-Dezurn. For in the event that she loses again, the back-to-back losses could very well leave her career in a very cripple and precarious position.
