Middleweight boxing champions Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall meet on Saturday, Sept. 10, for undisputed status. Here’s what they’re saying.
Middleweight boxing champions Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall addressed the media in a press conference, and a media call on Tuesday, July 5. They meet on Saturday, Sept. 10, in an undisputed matchup and had plenty to say about one another.
Shields (12-0, 2 KOs) possesses the IBF, WBA and WBC middleweight titles. The two-time Olympic gold medalist from Flint, MI, has dominated multiple weight classes and tries to become undisputed for the third time against Marshall.
Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs) is the WBO champion and one of the best knockout punchers in women’s boxing. Hailing from Hartlepool, England, Marshall will have the home country advantage over Sheilds when they battle at The O2 Arena in London.
In the press conference, Shields described her “dislike” for Marshall.
“I don’t hate nobody, but I really do have a huge dislike for her,” Shields said. “My grandmother told me not to use the word hate, so I won’t use it, but I don’t like Savannah, and she’s one of my biggest haters.”
Savannah Marshall gave Claressa Shields the only loss of her amateur boxing career, but the two meet again as professionals on Saturday, Sept. 10, on ESPN+
Shields elaborated on those comments while talking to FanSided during a media call following the press conference.
“It’s just kind of like how she trolled me on the internet when she says all this mean stuff,” Shields said to FanSided. “I think it’s disrespectful. Then she tries to take away from my accomplishments, saying I wouldn’t be a three-time division world champion if she would have gotten a chance to fight for the belts first. And that’s not true, and that’s taking away from my hard work, and I don’t like that.”
Marshall once defeated Shields as an amateur in 2012 during the AIBA Women’s World Championships. It’s the lone defeat throughout Shields’s time as an amateur boxer. Both Shields and Marshall are undefeated as professionals.
During the press conference, Marshall offered Shields some light praise, but she was adamant that she would be victorious against Shields.
“I’m actually a fan of Claressa Shields,” Marshall said. “She’s a pioneer, and what she has done for the sport has been amazing. But the reality is, she doesn’t beat me. She didn’t before, and she won’t again. And it kills her. It absolutely burns her inside, the fact that I beat her and I’ll beat her again. I’m not just going to beat her. I’m going to outbox her. I’m going to hurt her.”
Shields vs. Marshall is one of the biggest contests in women’s boxing history. American audiences can watch the fight on Sept. 10 on ESPN+.