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Claressa Shields considers Savannah Marshall’s remarkable knockout ratio mostly the byproduct of opportunistic, smart matchmaking.
Shields believes Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs) has feasted on smaller women who took fights against the unbeaten Brit on short notice. Even if Marshall is stronger than she anticipates, Shields definitely doesn’t expect her rival to hit harder than Franchon Crews in their grudge match September 10 at O2 Arena in London.
Crews has recorded only two knockouts in nine professional bouts, but Shields felt her power when they fought at the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds 5½ years ago at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“All the other girls that I fought, some been strong, some been fast, but Franchon Crews got wicked power,” Shields told BoxingScene.com. “Christina Hammer had a powerful jab, but that was it. You know, but I was able to neutralize her jab and take it away from her. But Franchon has got power in both hands, she’s sturdy, she’s rough, and yeah, she comes to fight. So, Franchon had the biggest punch.”
Shields (12-0, 2 KOs) beat Baltimore’s Crews by unanimous decision in her four-round pro debut, which took place in November 2016, three months after Shields won her second Olympic gold medal. Her victory over Crews, who became the fully unified super middleweight champion by defeating Sweden’s Elin Cederroos (8-1, 4 KOs) in her most recent fight, remains the only loss on Crews’ record (8-1, 2 KOs, 1 NC).
Hanna Gabriels dropped Shields during the first round of their June 2018 battle in Detroit, but Shields doesn’t think the Costa Rican fighter hits as hard as Crews. Shields got off the canvas quickly and comfortably beat Gabriels (21-2-1, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision in their 10-round middleweight championship match.
“People would think I would say Hanna Gabriels, but that was a flash knockdown,” Shields said. “I beat her by unanimous decision and I didn’t really have any problems with her throughout the fight. I think the only problem I had with the fight with Hanna Gabriels was I was dehydrated. Because that was my first time going down to 160 from 168, and me being a fighter, I was like, ‘It’s not gonna be hard to lose eight pounds throughout the camp.’ So I didn’t pay attention to my weight. Two days before the fight I was 162, and those two pounds would not come off. I don’t know why, but it was just like, ‘What the hell?’ ”
Shields hired a nutritionist to help her make weight properly after what the three-division champion experienced against Gabriels.
“I went through the fight the best way that I could and suffered the first-round knockdown,” Shields said. “But I just regained everything and used what I had and switched up my game plan a little bit, because my game plan was to knock her out. But it was like I just didn’t have it, so I continued to land my punches, jab or throw my combinations, hurt her here, hurt her there, and almost got her out in the seventh round. But it was just like I didn’t have my energy and my stamina that I had for my other fights because that was my first time dealing with having a tough time making the weight.”
Shields, 27, and Marshall, 31, will headline a Sky Sports telecast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It’ll also be the main event of a card ESPN+ will stream in the United States.
Shields will attempt to avenge her only loss as a professional or amateur boxer when she meets Marshall again. England’s Marshall defeated Shields on points, 14-8, at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in May 2012, less than three months before Shields won her first gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.