Claressa Shields beats Savannah Marshall to become undisputed middleweight champion
Claressa Shields has been crowned the new Undisputed Women’s Middleweight Champion after beating Savannah Marshall via unanimous decision.
A rivalry that had been going on for 10 years reached a boiling point at the opening bell with both women charging into the center of the ring and unloading. But it was Shields who looked better with a number of eye-catching combinations.
After a quick start from Shields, Marshall got on the front foot in the second and looked to push Shields back onto the ropes. However, the US unified champion used his impressive technical skills to escape any situation that could have posed any significant danger.
As the fight progressed, Marshall slowly increased her work rate while Shields remained calm and stood her ground as she managed to navigate the occasional shots thrown by the Hartlepool fighter.
If Marshall was to get the judges’ support, she needed to throw more combinations, but this proved difficult with Shields’ clever movement.
The tide seemed to have turned in the sixth with Shields showing possible signs of fatigue. She often leaned on Marshall in an attempt to deal with any attacks she can throw at her and although Marshall began to have more success, Shields showed no signs of being affected by her explosive power.
After a brief revival from Marshall, Shields wrestled back control knowing she was ahead on the cards, using clever technique to frustrate her British rival who was told by her trainer Peter Fury before the final two rounds to “Give it everything you have got”.
When the final bell rang, both women received a huge ovation from a sold-out O2 Arena crowd that had seen a barnstormer in a battle between two of the world’s best in women’s boxing, but it would be Claressa Shields who would be crowned the undisputed middleweight champion with all three judges scored the fight in her favor, 96-94, 96-94 and 97-93.
For Marshall, she let too many of the early rounds get away from her as Shields went toe-to-toe and used her exceptional footwork. When it came to increasing the pressure on the American, it was too little too late for Marshall.
With Shields returning to PFL MMA after Saturday night’s bout, it may be a while before we see her back in a boxing ring, but her fight with Marshall is one she can look back on fondly, with a historic one-contest women’s card that captured the imagination of boxing fans old and new.
Relive the best moments from the O2 Arena in London below.