MIRAMAR, Fla. — A three-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Claressa Shields is ready to prove her 2012 amateur loss against Savannah Marshall is a thing of the past.
Shields, the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBF, and The Ring middleweight champion, faces Marshall, the WBO champion on Sept. 10 inside the O2 Arena. The 27-year-old Shields has a chance to become a two-time undisputed middleweight champion while ending a bitter rivalry.
At the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, Shields lost to Marshall, the only loss of her amateur and pro boxing career. Shields believes a lot has changed heading into the 2022 clash. Speaking with The Sporting News at Square Off Boxing and Fitness, Shields questioned Marshall’s win and how that fight has helped the lead-in to this one.
“I got better. I improved. She didn’t.” Shields said. “That’s what I take from it (the previous fight). Look at our careers. Nobody’s seen the fight in 2012 except those who were there. For some reason, it was taken off the internet. When do you hide a fight from the internet? What does that mean, an amateur fight? That means that maybe the decision went the wrong way, or maybe the fight was closer than what people say. She told everybody she walked through me, she beat me up, it was the easiest fight of her career. Negative. I got the fight. I watched it. It was the hardest fight, even in her professional career, that she’s ever had in her life.
MORE: Sign up to watch Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall on ESPN+
“The mysteriousness of it (What really happened? Can she beat her? Why can’t we see it?), I think that’s actually building the fight up. I do have it, but I’m not going to post it until after I beat her so they can all see the truth.”
Marshall won the second round of that fight, ending Shields’ undefeated record to 26-1. Shields would earn an Olympic berth later and win gold in the 2012 London Games. Marshall did not win Olympic gold.
Shields made her pro debut in 2016. In her sixth fight, she beat Hanna Gabriels for the WBA and IBF middleweight titles. Shields became undisputed middleweight champion in 2019 after taking care of Christina Hammer. In 2021 she became undisputed light-middleweight champion when she beat Marie Eve Dicaire. A former super-middleweight champion, Shields’ nickname has become “The GWOAT” (Greatest Woman of All Time), and it has been hard to deny her status.
Over the years, Shields has beaten dominant champions from around the world. While she has two wins via knockout, that doesn’t tell the whole story. Her power is otherworldly, as she can hurt and tire out an opponent with such ease.
Ten of Marshall’s 12 wins are via knockout. Eight straight fights have ended thanks to the power punch. The WBO middleweight champion is a force of nature. While she is not dismissing Marshall’s wins, Shields is not impressed with her streak.
MORE: The case for 2- vs. 3-minute rounds in women’s boxing
“I mean, look, I accept her knockout because they’re there,” Shields went on to say. “She’s 12-0 with 10 knockouts, but go and look at those girls’ records and then tell me whether she should be knocking them out, or not. And you’re going to say, ‘Yea, you should be knocking out somebody that’s 4-25. You should be knocking out somebody that’s 11-75.’ Plus, you’re fighting them on three days’ notice, a week’s notice. You’re supposed to knock girls out like that.”
Shields will be leading an all-women’s card on Sept. 10. Mikaela Mayer vs. Alycia Baumgardner for the WBO, IBF, The Ring, WBC, and IBO junior-lightweight titles is the the co-main event. The Flint, Michigan-born Shields will get a chance to prove to the doubters that she truly is the greatest of all time against her biggest rival on the grandest stage. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
When is Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall?
- Date: Saturday, September 10
- Start time: 11 a.m. ET
- Main event: 4 p.m. ET (approximately)
Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall takes place on September 10. The main card is expected to start at 11 a.m. ET. Shields and Marshall should make their way to the ring around 4 p.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
MORE: Top 10 greatest female boxers of all-time
How to watch Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall
- ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes
The Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall main card will be shown on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+.
MORE: Sign up to watch Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall on ESPN+
Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall price: How much does the card cost?
You will need to pay $9.99 a month for a monthly subscription or an annual subscription for $99.99/yr. The Shields vs. Marshall fight won’t be an additional cost to current ESPN+ subscribers.
| Product | Prices |
|---|---|
| ESPN+ Monthly Subscription | $9.99/month |
| ESPN+ Annual Subscription | $99.99/year |
| The Disney Bundle w/Hulu Ad-Supported | $13.99/month |
| The Disney Bundle w/Hulu No-Ads |
$19.99/month |
Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform.
Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall fight card
- Claressa Shields (c) vs. Savannah Marshall (c) for the WBC, IBF, WBA, and WBO middleweight title
- Mikaela Mayer (c) vs. Alycia Baumgardner (c) for the WBO, IBF, and WBC junior-lightweight titles
- Caroline Dubois vs. Milena Koleva
- Lauren Price MBE vs. Timea Belik
- Karriss Artingstall vs. Marina Sakharov
- Ebonie Jones vs. Vanesa Caballero
- April Hunter vs. Erica Juana Gabriela Alvarez
- Shannon Ryan vs. Buchra El Quaissi
- Ginny Fuchs vs. Gemma Ruegg
- Sarah Liegmann vs. Bec Connolly
- Georgia O’Connor vs. TBA
Hits: 0
