Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall – Results & Post-Fight Report

Claressa Shields once again became undisputed middleweight champion, as she took a breathless points win against Savannah Marshall in a thriller at the O2 Arena in London.

History was made, as the card was an all female affair, and it was topped by a long anticipated grudge match between two foes with history, as Marshall (12-1, KO10) defeated Shields (13-0, KO2) as an amateur, before the American won two Olympic golds, and became undisputed champion as a professional at middleweight and super welterweight. Marshall became WBO middleweight champion in October 2020, and had defended three times, all inside schedule.

Marshall ran in to meet Shields from the opening bell, but the American unloaded on Marshall with multiple shots to head and body midway through the first round. The pair traded to begin the second, and Marshall landed with a big right hand, but was then caught by an uppercut as the wild action continued. Shields’ speed was giving her the upper hand as opposed to Marshall’s power punching, and the fourth saw her go on the front foot, beating Marshall to the punch with regularity. Marshall did rally in the fifth, pinning Shields in the corner, but the ‘GWOAT’ was having the better of the exchanges.

Shields was turning in a sublime performance, although she was beginning to tire in the sixth, yet still peppering her opponent with solid shots. Marshall had her best round to date in the seventh, landing with decent hooks and body shots, and Shields was cut above the left eye in round eight, as Marshall was growing in confidence. The pair traded yet again in the penultimate round, and they exchanged leather right to the final bell as the crowd were on their feet at the conclusion.

Two scores of 97-93, and a third at 96-94 saw Shields deservedly declared the winner.

Baumgardner Unifies

The co-main event saw another plethora of world titles on offer, and Alicia Baumgardner (13-1, KO7) added the IBF and WBO super featherweight titles to her WBC belt, as she took a split decision win against Mikaela Mayer (17-1, KO5).

There had been needle all through the build up, and it was the Detroit native that got the better of the grudge match.

Mayer began well, using her boxing skills to good effect, but Baumgardner was having her successes in short, sharp bursts. The pair did catch the eye throughout at different stages, and Mayer’s slick and smart boxing looked to have won the fight, but Baumgardner’s aggression seemingly won the day in the end for the judges, and she took the win by two scores of 96-95, which trumped a score of 97-93 for Mayer.

Remaining Undercard

Caroline Dubois (4-0, KO3) was once again in ruthless form, as the lightweight scored a fifth round stoppage of Milena Koleva (10-15-1, KO4). Dubois floored Koleva in round four, and a session later, a body shot sagged Koleva, and a follow up attack left the visitor stricken on the ropes, and the referee waved the contest off.

As well as Dubois, there were another pair of GB Olympians in action, and 2020 Olympic Gold medallist Lauren Price (2-0, KO1) impressed with a fourth round stoppage of Timea Belik (6-7, KO2) at welterweight. Price was levels above her opponent, and the fight was wisely called off with Belik under heavy fire.

Tokyo bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall (2-0, KO0) ran out a straightforward winner against Marina Sakharov (5-17-2, KO3) at featherweight.

April Hunter (6-1, KO0) continued her rebuild star her first pro loss, and she took all six rounds at super welterweight against Erica Juana Gabriela Alvarez (3-7, KO0).

Sarah Liegmann (6-0, KO1) remained unbeaten, taking a 59-55 victory on the referee’s scorecard against the ever-reliable Bec Connolly (3-16, KO0) at super bantamweight. Ginny Fuchs (2-0, KO1) also stayed perfect, winning all six rounds of her super flyweight encounter against Gemma Ruegg (5-5, KO1). Also at super flyweight, Shannon Ryan (3-0, KO0) won 40-36 against Buchra El Quassi (3-3-3, KO1). Georgia O’Connor (3-0, KO0) won all four frames against Joyce Van Ee (2-1-1, KO1) at super welterweight.