Claressa Shields says it isn’t just Savannah Marshall who is carrying punching power into their fight on September 10.
The Undisputed Female Middleweight Title dust-up takes place at the O2 Arena, London with Shields holding three of the four belts.
A leading topic of discussion in the build-up has been the heavy hands that Marshall possesses. Ten opponents from the 12 she has faced haven’t heard the final bell.
During a recent conference call, the self-proclaimed G.W.O.A.T said the WBO champion is in for a surprise come fight night.
“She gotta feel this pain. If I can get her out earlier, I will.”
“But I know that I think she’s sturdy. And she do have a little bit of size on me, as far as height. But I think she’s gonna be very, very shocked at how strong I am and how hard I punch, especially going into the later rounds.”
Statistics lean towards a distance fight for Shields if she is to win.
Since her pro debut in 2016 the 27-year-old has fought 12 times but has only stopped two opponents. The last of which came five years ago against Nikki Adler during her reign as WBC Super Middleweight champion.
Shields v Marshall is live on Sky Sports and in the co-main event slot IBF and WBO Super Featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer takes on Alycia Baumgardner who holds the WBC title.
The historic all-female card is the first of its kind and further undercard announcements will be made in due course.