Savannah Marshall believes Claressa Shield is scared of her power going into Saturday’s blockbuster undisputed bout at the 02 Arena.
All the middleweight belts are on the line in London, in a fight that appears to be a clash both in terms of personality and in style. Shields will bring her brash confidence and technical ability to the ring, up against the knockout power possessed by the more reserved Marshall.
The American is one of the greatest female fighters of all time, as she looks to become undisputed in a third weight division by adding the WBO title to her collection.
However, Marshall is not particularly impressed with Shields’ professional record, with only two of her wins coming by stoppage, and she is confident that her greater power will prove to be the difference.
“You couldn’t knock Ema Kozin out, couldn’t knock Hannah Rankin out,” Marshall told her opponent. “12-0 as a pro and you haven’t learned to finish anyone. That’s concerning, you haven’t learned.
“’You’re gonna knock me out, you’re gonna knock me out?’ You keep asking because it’s in the back of your mind, you’re petrified that I’m going to knock you out and that’s why you keep asking and keep going on and on.
“Knockouts don’t matter? It will matter when you’re on your back looking at the lights.”
The much-anticipated bout comes ten years on from when the pair fought as amateurs, with Marshall becoming the first fighter to ever beat Shields. Nobody has managed it since either.
Shields put that behind her to win gold at London 2012 before backing it up in Rio four years later, whereas Marshall struggled with nerves and was beaten in her opening fight at the Olympics on home soil.
Unsurprisingly, Shields has little interest in dwelling on that sole defeat.
“I’m better than you, I’ve been better than you since I was 17,” Shields said. “Didn’t I win the Olympics? If we’re going to talk about something 10 years ago aren’t we going to talk about the Olympics?
“I lost in 2012 [in the amateurs], two months later won the Olympics, then 2014 World Championships, you were there sweetheart - gold medal again.
“Then five days later back-to-back I walked through them. 2016 World Championships, we there again boo, oh my god, not Claressa getting gold again?
“Then the Olympics, was you there? Yes. Watching me win gold again. And you’re better than me? How? You cannot live off something 10 years ago.”
