We are just days away from an historic night in the boxing calendar, with the undisputed middleweight crown on the line as Claressa Shields takes on Savannah Marshall at the 02 Arena in London this Saturday.
This is a fight with bad blood that has been years in the making, with animosity stemming back to the two women’s tenure in the amateur ranks. Marshall handed Shields her first loss when they met at the 2012 AIBA World Championships – still the only time the American has tasted defeat in a boxing ring to date.
It was Shields, however, who went on to star as an amateur, going on to win two Olympic gold medals with Marshall, by her own admission, underachieving in the unpaid ranks. Needless to say, the self-proclaimed ‘GWOAT’ has not been shy of reminding Marshall of this fact.
“I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. I know how to box. I’m a two-time Olympic champion and I’ve got all these championships.”
Shields has also enjoyed a stellar career as a pro, remaining undefeated on the road to becoming undisputed champion at two weight classes. She did taste defeat in her foray into the world of MMA towards the end of last year, a loss that WBO belt holder Marshall feels Shields has attempted to brush under the carpet.
“Look at the MMA loss. That’s never been mentioned since. Have people forgot that she lost last year? So, the ‘GWOAT’ is beatable.”
“But that’s just been erased from history, apparently.”
Watch all the best trash talk between the pair courtesy of Boxing Social:
With fight week now underway and a final press conference scheduled for Thursday, there are sure to be further fiery exchanges before the women let their fists do the talking on September 10th at the 02.