BOXXER in association with Hennessy Sports and Salita Promotions, today officially announced that the long-awaited showdown between bitter rivals Claressa ‘GWOAT’ Shields (12-0, 2 KO’s) and Savannah ‘The Silent Assassin’ Marshall (12-0, 10 KO’s) will take place at The O2, London on Saturday 10th September.
The encounter will bring to a head a decade-long rivalry which began in their amateur days and has continued to intensify ever since. With both securing 12 wins from their 12 professional fights, this 13th showdown will prove to be unlucky for one.
On the line in this sport-defining showdown is the Undisputed World Middleweight Championship: Shields will enter the ring carrying the WBA, WBC and IBF World Middleweight Championship belts, while Marshall will wear her WBO strap.
Shields is no stranger to undisputed status. She held all four middleweight belts between 2019 and 2020, then repeated the feat at light-middleweight to become the first and only boxer ever to hold the four major titles in two weight classes simultaneously.
Her outstanding career also includes two Olympic gold medals, won at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Her perfect professional record is mirrored by an almost-perfect amateur record: her only ever loss inside a boxing ring came at the hands of Savannah Marshall.
That 2012 encounter ended with Marshall taking a decisive 14-8 points win, sparking one of the most bitter rivalries in today’s sporting landscape and making this one of the most highly-anticipated bouts of recent memory.
With global interest in the fight and their legacy on the line, this historic fight also promises to elevate women’s boxing to a new level, ranking alongside any of the great championship showdowns in the men’s divisions.
Other ‘firsts’ on the night include:
· First ever all-female UK boxing card
· First female boxers to headline at The O2
The chief support slot of this historic card is a bout presented in association with Top Rank which will see WBO and IBF world champion Mikaela Mayer and WBC champion Alycia Baumgardner face off in a unification bout in the 130-pound division.
“I don’t hate nobody but I really do have a huge dislike for her. My grandmother told me not to use the word hate so I won’t use it, but I don’t like Savannah and she’s one of my biggest haters,” Shields told the assembled media at today’s press conference.
“They’re saying she’s a big knockout puncher, she’s the only blemish on my record as an amateur, that she has the recipe to beat me. My job is to show that she doesn’t and that I don’t reign supreme in three different weight classes for no reason. If she was better than me, she’d be the one supreme in three different weight classes, not me.”
Marshall fired back, “I’m actually a fan of Claressa Shields, she’s a pioneer and what she has done for the sport has been amazing. But the reality is, she doesn’t beat me. She didn’t before and she won’t again. And it kills her, it absolutely burns her inside, the fact that I beat her and I’ll beat her again. I’m not just going to beat her, I’m going to outbox her. I’m going to hurt her.
“This fight has been a long time coming but we’re here now and September 10 I will be the new middleweight champion of the world.”
Ben Shalom, BOXXER Founder and CEO, said, “It’s finally here. All sports need major rivalries to transcend their boundaries and this is the biggest rivalry ever to come from women’s boxing. This is a major moment for the whole sport of boxing, a transatlantic fight which will bring new light to the sport. Two major stars, two elite athletes, two personalities and a story that you could not make up. Thank you to all the promoters and managers involved to make a fight that many thought could not happen. A historic night awaits at the O2.”
Adam Smith, Head of Boxing Development at Sky Sports said, “This is a truly iconic fight for our sport on what will be an unprecedented night at London’s O2 on September 10th. To finally announce one of the most mouthwatering matches of this modern generation between our own incredible World Champion Savannah ‘The Silent Assassin’ Marshall and the GWOAT Claressa Shields, an American idol, is a pleasure and an honour.
“This is just laced with history, needle, spice, revenge – everything – and these two elite unbeaten boxing champions and fabulous sporting figures clash for the undisputed middleweight title in one of the biggest fights of this era.
“September 10th will be a night to remember forever and a landmark moment for women’s sport with an all-female show. We welcome rising star Mikaela Mayer against Alycia Baumgardner in a super chief support bout and title unification match. And there will be other major announcements to make this the biggest night ever for women’s boxing. We are so proud to be showing this unique, magical evening on Sky Sports.”
Hennessy Sports CEO Mick Hennessy, manager of Savannah Marshall, said, “In my opinion this is clearly the biggest and most exciting fight in the history of women’s boxing. It’s going to make history and it’s going to live up to every expectation. It’s been ten years in the making and I can’t wait for September 10 at The O2. This has the potential to be the fight of the year worldwide.”
Dmitriy Salita, CEO of Salita Promotions and manager of Claressa Shields, said “Shields vs Marshall is going to be one of the most significant sporting events of our generation inside and outside the ring. I am grateful to co-promote this historic event with BOXXER on the Sky platform. It will be a fight to remember inside the ring and another example of why Claressa Shields is the GWOAT,”
