There is no love lost between them, which is just as well because the fists are about to fly.
Savannah Marshall and Hannah Rankin’s battle of Britain is only a couple of days away and it’s more than a spat between two rivals, it’s a shoot-out at Wembley for the vacant WBO world middleweight title.
The 29 and 30-year-olds clash on the undercard of the Sky Sports Box Office event in the capital where ex-undisputed world cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk puts his unbeaten record on the line against Britain’s Derek Chisora.
Eddie Hearn has assembled quite a show but Marshall v Rankin looks a beauty, as the English girl with medal after medal on the amateur scene meets the battle-hardened Scot who has been in the trenches four times in world title scraps.
“It’s a perfect match-up,” said Rankin, who is confident of ending the unbeaten record of her opponent she has already indulged in some social media jabs with.
“It’s been on the cards for some time and I think people are genuinely excited by a proper 50-50 fight.”
Rankin believes the contest will eclipse the terrific tussle between new-kid-on-the-block Terri Harper and Marshall’s old Olympic team-mate Natasha Jonas for the WBC and IBO world super-featherweight belts in August.
That was a belter (no pun intended Terri) and it wouyld take some beating but Rankin told punchlines that the two middleweight arch-rivals will produce a show-stopper.
“This is the first big fight at one of the higher weights in the UK, I don’t think there’s been a world championship bout above super-lightweight before,” said the Glasgow star.
“There’s not been anything like this before, we’ve been on a collision course for a while, we can both bang and there are a lot of things that can happen in this fight.
“I’ve been buzzing for this and think boxing fans are excited too.
“I think me and Sav will be a real barnstormer and people know that and that’s why there was such a sense of anticipation.”
It is a confrontation which has split some opinion.
Marshall has won pretty much everything as an amateur, but her only 10-rounder as a professional was a one-sided points success over Yanina Orozco for the World Boxing Association’s Inter-Continental super-middle title.
Rankin, on the other hand, has already had four world title bouts and while she’s won only one, the others have gone the distance and has never been stopped.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom
