“Claressa vs Marshall is a genuine sports rivalry like Ali vs Frazier or Leonard vs Hearns, if they play chess it will be competitive and personal,” said Claressa Shields’ promoter Dmitry Salita; Marshall says she is eyeing a clash with Shields in the MMA cage
Savannah Marshall admits the prospect of a meeting with Claressa Shields in the cage is the main reason behind her decision to step into the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
‘The Silent Assassin’ recently announced she will make her MMA debut in the Professional Fighters League in Newcastle on June 8.
It comes little under a year after Marshall became undisputed super-middleweight champion with a majority decision victory over Franchon Crews-Dezurn in Manchester.
The victory marked her emphatic response to suffering a first career defeat at the hands of Shields on a historic all-female card at The O2 arena in October 2022, the pair having been embroiled in a long-term rivalry stemming from Marshall’s victory over her counterpart in the amateur ranks, which remains the American’s only loss.
“This is why the PFL have signed me, because they can see the potential of me and Claressa fighting in the cage,” Marshall told Sky Sports.
“I saw her in her last fight live, and now I know what I’m looking at on the ground I know how hard it is, because watching her first two fights I thought she was terrible.
“But now I know how hard it is, changing your boxing and defending takedowns, you aren’t just looking at fists, you’re looking at feet and I get it.
