Savannah Marshall will be taking absolutely nothing for granted when she climbs through the ropes at the Copper Box Arena for her first world title defence.
The unbeaten Hartlepool boxer is in London where she is defending her WBO middleweight belt against late substitute, Maria Lindberg.
Marshall had been due to fight Belgium’s Femke Hermans, only for the European champion to be forced to pull out after a coach tested positive for covid.
Thankfully, a hurried late search for a replacement, which had looked a mission impossible for promoters, Matchroom, and the World Boxing Organization turned out to be a mission possible!
It represents a tricky assignment for Marshall and her coach, Peter Fury.
They had been preparing to take on an awkward foe in Hermans and now they must see off someone they had probably barely head of, let alone expected to box.
But the seasoned Swede campaigner, while a rank outsider (though, to be fair, that is not an unusual for a Marshall opponent) is certainly not a no-hoper.
The 44-year-old has lost only six occasions in 27 appearances and has never been stopped.
She has twice been the distance with German legend, Christina Hammer, and fought recent Claressa Shields opponent, Maria Eve Dicaire, all in world championship contests.
Lindberg was also good enough to challenge Slovenian’s Ema Kozin 17 months ago for a variety of world belts, with the ‘Princess’ only scraping home narrowly in Ljubljana.
“If anything, this is a tougher fight than the original fight we had,” said Marshall.
“Maria is very experienced, tough and been in with some of the best in the world – Christian Hammer twice.
“I’m expecting a tough fight come Saturday.
“But I’ve had a 12-week camp, so I’ve prepared for everything.
“Whatever Maria brings I’m more than confident I’ve got the answer for.”
Whenever Marshall is talked about, the name Shields is never far away and that’s the case this week at the Holiday Inn in Stratford, where Saturday’s castlist are assembled.
And the former World and Commonwealth Games gold medalist insists any talk of a Shields-Marshall superfight will not distract her from the job in hand – Lindberg.
“I think it’s the dream of any boxer to be the undisputed champion of the world and I do believe that is the biggest fight in female boxing, “ said the ‘Silent Assassin’.
“But I can’t look past Maria at the moment.”
The action from the Copper Box, where Conor Benn tops the bill against Samuel Vargas, will be screened live on Sky Sports.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom
