A fight with Claressa Shields? Eddie, you are on.
Eddie Hearn has spent months trying to get AJ-Fury to happen and now boxing’s number one promoter has set himself another challenge: Shields-Marshall. Or Marshall-Shields, if you wish.
Having watched Savannah Marshall live up to her ‘Assassin’ moniker and take out Maria Lindberg inside just three rounds at the Copper Box Arena, Hearn shouted from the rooftops his determination to make the fight we all want to see a reality.
Hearn believes Hartlepool’s WBO world middleweight champion would not only win but could stop the American, whose only ever defeat, amateur or professional, was at the hands of Marshall.
When Savannah says “she doesn’t want to know” that’s not any form of psychological warfare from the 29-year-old, it’s her deep-seated belief. When she says the American is too scared to take her on, the Peter Fury-trained talent means it.
Shields v Marshall (or Marshall v Shields) is THE fight fans want.
Sadly as we all know, this is boxing. If only it was like football, where the best have to face each other on the pitch.
Imagine before the Champions League last eight Klopp getting on the phone to UEFA “it’s great being in the quarter-finals gents, but we don’t fancy playing Real Madrid if it’s all the same to you.”
Hearn, therefore, has his work cut out but we say to the Matchroom supremo ‘go for it’.
Speaking to Sky Sports after Savannah’s maiden title defence, Hearn said: “We’re actually making good progress, I’ve had a number of calls with [co-manager] Mark Taffet and [promoter] Dmitri Salita.
“Of course they know how dangerous the fight is – they want a load of money and I’m prepared to pay a load of money, because I think this is a tremendous fight.
“I’ll back Savannah every day of the week. I love Claressa, I think she’s done such a great job for women’s boxing, but there is no way she goes 10 rounds with Savannah Marshall.
“Savannah Marshall is the only girl to beat Claressa Shields, she beat her in the amateurs and she’ll beat her in the professionals, I’m so convinced.
“I rate Shields, but she can’t stand up to her power, Savannah is the hardest pound-for-pound puncher in boxing, unquestionably.
“She’s doing it without having to go through the gears. The flow is there.
“Lindberg has been in with loads of world champions and has never been stopped or looked like getting stopped.
“Maria couldn’t stand up to the power, it was written on her face.
“It’s not about calling Claressa out, we just want to get the fight on. This is a super-fight, it’s right up there. This could headline in the US or the UK.
“We can do two fights, we can do one, I don’t care, let’s just make the fight and I’ll do everything I can to make it.
‘Shields doesn’t want to know’ Click here to read Savannah Marshall’s views.
“There are no other options for Claressa Shields in boxing.
“I know for all the GWOAT tweets, I know it’ll be eating her up inside that Savannah is the only person ever to have beaten her.
“She’ll beat her again.”
Hopefully Hearn will weave his magic and we will get to see it.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Dave Thompson/ Matchroom
