“I’m going to prove that Savannah Marshall can’t just come in here and walk all over me,” declares Claressa Shields; watch the Shields vs Marshall undisputed middleweight title fight live on Sky Sports on October 15
The ferocious rivalry between the two fighters has only grown more bitter since Marshall beat Shields in the amateurs a decade ago.
Still Shields’ only defeat in a boxing ring, the loss spurred her on. From there she went on to win two Olympic gold medals, multiple professional world titles and on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, fights Marshall for the undisputed middleweight world championship.
“The loss to her put a different kind of fire in me, a fire to train harder, a fire to not leave it in the judges’ hands,” Shields told Sky Sports.
“When I got back to the gym after sulking for like a week or so, when I started back training I just pushed myself so hard, I could have damn near killed myself, how hard I ran, how hard I pushed my body. Just how much I sparred, within that two months leading up to the Olympics, I put myself through some things and it was all just to be an Olympic champ and if I fought her again, I was going to knock her out. That’s why I put in that hard work.
“So the loss was definitely needed for me but also sometimes God just sets things up to go a certain way, which was fine with me because now God has doubled back and said, ‘Hey I got you, I know that they robbed you back in the day but I’m about to set it up for you where it’s about to be a hundred times bigger than what it was back then and you’re going to get sweet revenge. How do you like me now?’ And I told God, ‘I love you for that, thank you!'”
Shields has gone as far as saying she does not consider the amateur loss even to be fair.
“No one around me or no one who I’m close to, coaches, nobody’s who’s seen the fight between me and Savannah Marshall thought that I lost. We all know that it was a robbery. She knows that it was a robbery that they played in her favour,” the American claimed.
She is not concerned though about the judging at the O2 next week. “I ain’t worried about no judges, I ain’t worried about none of that,” she insisted.
“I ain’t got no problem with that. If the fight’s got to go 10 rounds I’m going to win on points. If I’ve got to knock her out, I’ll knock her out. I’m not worried about bad decisions or whatever. I know that God has brought me here for a reason and he’s going to be with me inside of the ring when I’m fighting.
“I look forward to giving her the best Claressa Shields she’ll ever get.”
Even if she were to lose this fight, Shields is certain that would not detract from what she’s already achieved. Her legacy, the American is convinced, is already established.
“She can never take away from my accomplishments. Being a three-time division world champ, two-time undisputed [previously at super-welter and middleweight]. No, I’m not worried about anything being taken from me,” Shields said.
“I’m going to go in there and show why I call myself GWOAT [Greatest Woman of All-Time] but also why others consider me that because I surprise myself sometimes.”
Though Shields added, “It’s exciting times. Every fight is exciting to me. I have something to prove every fight. To prove that, one, Savannah Marshall can’t just come in here and walk all over me is the first thing to do. And secondly come out with the decision and win and then the third put on a great performance for women’s boxing.
“So, it’s all meaningful for me.”
All tickets purchased for original Shields vs Marshall date remain valid for October 15. Don’t miss out, last remaining tickets can be purchased at boxxer.com.
