Savannah Marshall punches her way to undisputed title fight sending a brutal message to ringside rival Claressa Shields
SAVANNAH MARSHALL sensationally punched her way to an undisputed title fight – sending a brutal message to ringside rival Claressa Shields.
Shields travelled to Newcastle to watch from up close and personal as hometown hero Marshall made a routine defence of her WBO crown against Femke Hermans.
The two unbeaten middleweight champions – who will now put all four belts on the line – then confronted each other in the ring.
But Marshall, 30, said: “There’s no one else in the way of me and Claressa, so it’s me and Claressa in the summer now.
“I know Claressa can’t answer my power. I know when I land on Claressa, it will be goodnight. I believe I severely hurt Claressa.
“It’s Great Britain versus America, it’s always a great rivalry.”
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Marshall, the only to ever beat Shields during their amateur days, spent the opening rounds boxing and moving, gaging her lengthy range.
And in round three she closed the show in dramatic fashion as ex-world champion Hermans, 32, was knocked out with a massive left hand.
Double Olympic gold medalist Shields, 27, will now put up her WBC, WBA and IBF belts in an attempt to gain revenge for her 2012 defeat to Marshall.
She said: “As much punch power as she has, I’m sorry to say, if that’s what I’ve got to look forward to, it’s going to be a wipeout.”
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Marshall has exceptionally heavy hands with ten KOs in 12 wins – but two-weight undisputed queen Shields remains fearless.
The US star said: “You have to have power, you have to have skill, you have to show all of that in order to beat me.
“It’s not going to take just one big punch to deal with me, it’s going to take a lot.”