Brit bomber ringfences all four 168 lbs belts and begs Shields for a rematch
Franchon Crews-Dezurn vs Savannah Marshall | HIGHLIGHTS #DezurnMarshall
CLARESSA SHIELDS CONFRONTS SAVANNAH MARSHALL AFTER UNDISPUTED WIN VS. CREWS-DEZURN | FULL POST-FIGHT
By Ed Emeanua
Savannah Marshall lost for the first time since turning pro inside a ring to Claressa Shields last October in her maiden bid to ringfence all four major belts in a division.
She has only just yanked same absolute super-middleweight belts from Franchon Crews-Dezurn with a majority decision win at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday and now wants a rematch with shields.
But will Shields who has moved on to a higher ranking grant her wish for a rematch?
Marshall’s outing last weekend was her first since losing to Shields last year, the defeat forcing her to go down to 12-1, 10 KOs.
The buff and durable Crews-Dezurn gave out an exceptionally contrasting stellar test to Shields’ thrilling artistry and Marshall, now 13-1, 10 KOs better, was strained sporadically during the encounter.
All the same, Marshall duly carried the day by differences of 99-92 and 97-93 on the scorecards, with a third judge turning in an absolutely baffling 95-95 decision.
But, is that enough to honestly contend that Marshall is truly ready for what Shields will bring to one more brawl between them?
Soon after the fight, Marshall was almost immediately drawn to Shields’ presence at ringside, who she wishes to fight in again in the higher weight class she has just annexed.
It was expected that should Marshall defeat Crews-Dezurn, the clear bout to make would be a Marshall versus Shields 2. The first fight was a riveting faceoff and a follow-up is an easy sell. While Shields would relish the opportunity to crowned a three-weight incontestable queen, Marshall would have the chance to achieve her revenge.
CLARESSA SHIELDS VS FRANCHON CREWS FULL FIGHT
Also, Marshall versus Shields 1 was a matchup that was 10 years in the making. Marshall is the sole fighter to have handed the fabled American a loss, in a 2012 amateur competition, and the “G.W.O.A.T” had vowed retribution ever since. On fight night, Shields’ nimble hands and skill eclipsed Marshall’s hard-hitting attack and the American left the ring with the British star’s WBO middleweight belt and recognition as undisputed champion.
“I think the tactics were wrong. I definitely fought Claressa’s fight and I didn’t think she’d be as tough as she was. She was a lot tougher than I expected,” said Marshall about her first fight with Shields.
“I believe that I can outbox Claressa, but I personally don’t think she’ll give me the fight. When you’re in there, there’s only you and the opponent who know, and she knows that was a hard fight.
“She knows I hurt her, she knows she was pushed all the way, and I don’t think she’ll want to go through that again. We were due to have a rematch straight away and she majorly priced herself out of the fight.
“No, I don’t think she’ll give me it. Fair play if she does, but I don’t think she will. Like I said, she could have had the rematch straight after and the vibes I was getting was that she wasn’t interested.”
Now that Marshall has left the ring with a treasure trove of super middleweight hardware last Saturday, will Shields be able to resist the challenge?
