Claressa Shields has told Savannah Marshall to fight her on their new September 3 date or find another opponent.
The undisputed middleweight title bout had been pencilled in for this summer, but arm surgery has shelved Marshall prompting the delay. Shields told Sky Sports News
“If it doesn’t happen [by] September 3, Savannah Marshall is going to have to find somebody else to play with. That’s it.”
The American who holds the WBC, WBA and IBF titles has spent time in Britain this year doing bit to help promote the fight. In February she defended her belts against Ema Kozin in Cardiff and then took in Marshall’s last defence of her WBO strap Femke Hermans in Newcastle. Following each fight, the two champions have had fiery confrontations proving there is no love lost between the two.
Shields believes Marshall is now trying to buy more time to prepare herself.
“It’s all mind games and it’s extra time,” said Shields. “Her and her trainer have realised that it is not what they thought it was going to be.”
“I’m not going to let Savannah steamroll me, she’s not going to knock me out.
“She’s going to have to be in great shape, she’s going to have to be mentally tough and she’s going to have to endure a lot of hard punches, body shots, head shots and I don’t think she’s ready for that right now.”