So long as the money is right, Claressa Shields has no problem facing Savannah Marshall
In the professional ranks, undisputed super welterweight champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (11-0, 2 KO’s) is definitely a big fish. She has claimed belts over three weight classes, become undisputed champion in two divisions and is currently the undisputed super welterweight champion. Shields was also the first woman in history to headline a Showtime Boxing telecast. Even as an amateur, T-Rex was a sensation due to winning back-to-back gold medals in the Olympics.
Having accomplished all this, it’s not hard to see why Shields demands respect in the boxing world. One way to demonstrate that respect is in the size of the checks cut for the fight purse. Here is where T-Rex is finding a major disconnect in penning a bout with WBO World middleweight champion Savannah “The Silent Assassin’ Marshall (10-0, 8 KO’s). Marshall, 30, has been honing her professional skills for four years now.
Despite being the only person to best Shields in the amateurs, The Silent Assassin turned down the chance to fight Shields in 2018. At the time, Marshall and her team felt that she needed to undergo a bit more development. Presently however, they are all very confident that they could derail the T-Rex freight train. If anything, The Silent Assassin has been told that now it is the undisputed champion that is avoiding her.
THE PRICE AIN’T RIGHT
Naturally, with boxing being the small fraternity/sorority that it is, Shields quickly got wind of what Marshall has been saying. For her part, the fight not being made had zero to do with hesitance or fear. Not being one to hold her tongue, T-Rex was only too happy to share her half of the story with Pep Talk UK.
“If you go watch the Eve Dicaire fight, I told him [Eddie Hearn] 750K, I’ll get in there and smoke Marshall any day, any time any day. The price that he came at us with up at first was trash! Like, I haven’t been paid 150K since I don’t know, five fights ago, That’s the offer that he made for the fight up at first. It was at 150K. After I beat Marie Dicaire, after he clearly heard me say on national TV when I fought pay-per-view, 750.
“He just started getting the money up and up and up. I haven’t fought for a purse under 350K in boxing since even Marie Eve Dicaire, Ivana Habazin, and he just came with an offer of 150. So he must not want Savannah Marshall to get her ass kicked because I said either match that or come with a better number than I said. He just started getting his act together.”
PAPER CHAMPION
When it comes right down to it, Claressa Shields has no genuine respect for Marshall, her professional or amateur accomplishments. Perhaps her level of annoyance with the situation stems directly from this lack of reverence. Along this line of thinking, Shields has often poked fun that Marshall owns her former vacated WBO strap. Therefore, when it comes to The Silent Assassin, T-Rex wants the bout purely for the thrill of putting her paws on Marshall.
“I cant wait to fight her and beat her up and shut her up. It’s not about me fighting her because she is not that good. If they want to make her out to be this knockout artist they can, but they are going to be very disappointed when me and her fight because I am going to outclass her. I’m going to out-strength her, I’m going to out-speed her, I am going to out-skill her and she will have to deal with her telling all these lies for all these years.
And then maybe she will come to reality and maybe she’ll become a better fighter after. But right now her team is just feeding her shit, blowing smoke up her ass and making her think she is better than what she is and she is going to have to deal with this loss and grow from it I guess, hopefully.”
Given the length and ferocity of this rivalry, let’s hope that the money is sorted out in short order and the bout is put together very soon! It’d be a shame if this one didn’t happen or came well past its sell-by date.
By: Bakari Simpson
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