Savannah Marshall v Claressa Shields has gone a bit quiet hasn’t it? For now.
Talk over a super-fight was all the rage after the American legend, self-styled ‘Greatest Woman Of All Time’ became the first boxer in the four-belt era to be an undisputed champion in two weight divisions following her light-middleweight unification triumph over Marie-Eve Dicaire.
She even promised to come to the UK to “smoke Eddie Hearn’s girl” with the Matchroom supremo then suggesting a two-fight deal.
The volume level has gone down a bit since then, though with Marshall’s maiden defence of her WBO middleweight title just around the corner on Saturday, April 10, the noise is likely to rise again.
Punch-lines caught up with one of British boxing’s star names and a woman whose views are always worth reading, Natasha Jonas.
The Liverpool fighter believes it will be a huge occasion and backs her former Olympic team-mate to succeed.
“You’d have to say it’s got to be one of the biggest women’s fights ever, possibly the biggest,” said the 36-year-old.
“But if you are a fan of boxing it’s just a great fight, full stop.
“Before Savannah’s last fight I’d have said Claressa is the one to beat.
“But having watched how Sav won the title against Hannah Rankin, how relaxed and confident she is and how she is back to loving her boxing again, I’d go for her.
“Savannah doesn’t need to be taught skills – she has everything – but she needs a mental coach to guide her.
“She can fall off, as she did for the Olympics, but Peter Fury is a coach that goes great with her and they are an ideal combination.
“I think now it will be a different fight altogether.
“With Claressa there is a lot of emotion and emotion is something you have to control inside the ring.
“If Savannah hits her and hurts her I don’t she’d be able to handle it, emotion-wise.
“I don’t want to sound disrespectful but Claressa thinks she’s a big puncher and she’s not, but Sav is. She can hit hard.
“So to me, taking all that into consideration, the fight sways towards Sav for me.”
Jonas is not a fan of some of the noise that comes from the American, who celebrated her 26th birthday this week, but has the ultimate respect for the boxer with two Olympic and World gold medals and 11 wins on the spin as a professional.
“Claressa performed well against Dicaire, she was really fast and explosive,” added the Scouser.
“She talks a lot and that’s not my way, but each to their own.
“Tony Bellew made a very successful career out of it and no-one had more to say than Muhammed Ali.
“If that’s the way Claressa wants it then you can’t really fault her because she backs up her words every time.”
Tasha hopes a major showdown or showdowns between the pair could pave the way for more big women’s contests.
“I read what Eddie had said about having a two-fight deal with one in the USA and one in the UK,” said the Scouser.
“If that happens that’s brilliant, a Trans-Atlantic crossover would open lots of doors for other women and that can only be good for the sport.”
What of Jonas herself?
‘Miss GB’ produced the performance of her life to draw with Terri Harper last August when they met in Matchroom’s back garden in the maiden defence of the Yorkshire fighter’s WBC and IBO super-feather belts.
“I’m hoping for an announcement soon and hopeful of two to three fights this year,” she said.
Words: Roy Kelly PIcture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom
