Claressa Shields ramps up trash talk for massive Marshall showdown
It is shaping up to be the biggest fight in women’s boxing ever staged in the UK - Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall at London’s O2 Arena on September 10.
The two unbeaten superstars will lock horns with the undisputed world middleweight title on the line and the might of the Sky Sports promotional machine building this up to a huge event.
To top things off, there is real beef between these two great champions - dating back 10 long years to when Savannah handed Claressa her only ever defeat in a boxing ring at the World Amateur Championships.
Hartlepool star Savannah, now 31, has dined out on that win for years, constantly getting under the skin of Shields. Claressa though says she is ready to settle the score once for all.
Speaking at a media workout in Detroit, the 27-year-old rubbished Marshall’s record and also claimed she has a psychological edge over her bitter UK rival.
Claressa claims mental edge
“Marshall has been quiet since the press conference.
“She was quiet during our sit-together. I was thinking she would have more energy and more spite. But when we were face-to-face she tucked her tail, and that just showed me right there that she didn’t want this fight.
“She knows she’s not going to win this fight. I saw her do an interview where she had a black eye. So they’ve been trying to put her through all kinds of stuff in sparring to make sure she’s ready. But the truth is she’s light years behind me.”
Shields also boasts a 12-0 pro record, but she says it’s of a very different type to Savannah’s.
“Marshall has fought a whole bunch of tomato cans. She might be 12-0 with 10 knockouts, but if you go and look at her record, the majority of those girls had losing records. You’re supposed to knock them out on three days’ notice, or a week’s notice.”
A whole new level for Savannah?
While Savannah has obviously fought at world title level, she holds the WBO middleweight strap, Claressa believes this showdown is a whole new level.
“When we get inside the ring, she hasn’t done this before. She hasn’t fought for an undisputed championship. This will be my third time.
“So people love to build it up and trash talk, but she’s going to want to talk trash in the ring, and I’m just setting that to the side and focused on training to be better, faster, stronger, sharper and smarter. I think she knows that and that she’s in for a tough fight.”
