Living up to her self-proclaimed title of GWOAT – the greatest woman of all time – Claressa Shields maneuvers her longtime rival Savannah Marshall in a dramatic match that showcased the best of women’s boxing on a defining night for the sport.
Shields, a Flint, Michigan native who worked her way up through strong headwinds in the male-dominated world of martial arts, was crowned the undisputed middleweight champion Saturday night after a unanimous decision win, extending her unbeaten professional record to 13. 0.
The blockbuster bout, which headlined a sell-out women’s-only boxing event at London’s O2 Arena, was an entertaining affair fueled by vicious slugfests and a frenzied pace that delighted the roaring crowd. And while Marshall proved to be a formidable opponent, it was Shields who emerged victorious after dominating the first half of the fight with her impressive technical skills and clean combinations – a fitting end to a night that saw the women’s card amid a crowded chalkboard sticking out of showcase boxing matches, the others presided over by men.
“It’s not just a special moment for me. It’s a special moment for women’s boxing,” a crying Shields said during her post-fight speech. “Women’s boxing has been around for so many years and there have been so many greats before us, but here we are in front of 20,000 fans in London at the O2 Arena.
“And I think that’s the fight of the year!” she said.
The rivalry between Shields and Marshall dates back to the 2012 World Amateur Championships when Marshall gave Shields their first and only loss. Marshall won the World Championship a few days later, but Shields won the Olympic gold at the London 2012 games when Marshall was eliminated early in the tournament.
In the 10 years since that first meeting, Shields has climbed to the top of women’s boxing, winning two consecutive Olympic gold medals, and is the only boxer in history to hold all four major world titles — WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO — in two at the same time weight classes. Marshall, who struggled with social anxiety and considered retiring from boxing before turning pro in 2017, went into this fight with an identical 12-0 record, a clear height advantage and credibility as a bitter enemy for Shields.
Shields expressed concern, then relief, when the ring announcer stated that the scorecards of 96-94, 97-93 and 97-93 were in their favor. She found Marshall in her corner and told her that she had estimated each of their 10 laps together.
“It was definitely the toughest fight of my career,” Shields told Marshall.
The fight was originally scheduled to take place on September 10 but was postponed due to a 10-day national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. To mark the British monarch’s 70-year reign, the WBC Shields on Saturday awarded a purple “Elizabethan belt” that featured both the flags of the United Kingdom and United States, along with decorations of the Queen.
Shields said after the fight that Marshall was one of the toughest fighters she has ever faced. “She’s a hard puncher,” Shields said. “But ten years later I’m the better fighter.”
In the co-main event, Alycia Baumgardner handed Mikaela Mayer her first professional loss to become the unified IBF, WBC, and WBO super featherweight champion of the world. Baumgardner won by a narrow margin – a split decision that saw two judges score the fight 96-95 in her favor – improving her pro record to 13-1.
The fight was certainly close as Mayer displayed superior technical boxing while Baumgardner landed significantly more power punches.
“I think I landed the cleaner shots, the harder shots,” Baumgardner said during her post-fight interview when asked if she felt she did enough to get the win. “I was the harder puncher. I dug deep.”
The two fighters have spent the past few weeks exchanging gunfire on social media and had to be separated by security forces after nearly attacking each other at Friday’s weigh-in ceremony. Despite the heated build-up and close fight, Baumgardner insisted she plans to take on bigger challenges.
“I’m not giving a rematch,” she said.
Earlier on the Shields-Marshall card, Olympic gold medalist Lauren Price outclassed her opponent with a fourth-round TKO win while Caroline Dubois, the younger sister of top heavyweight prospect Daniel Dubois, suffered a fifth-round stoppage to one long-lived Milena Koleva earned.
The Shields-Marshall card came several hours ahead of two other men’s events vying for attention from boxing fans.
Devin Haney outclassed former defending champion George Kambosos Jr for the second time this year to retain his undisputed lightweight title in Melbourne, Australia. Haney, a 23-year-old American, won by unanimous decision, with one judge awarding him a score of 118-109 and the other two judges giving a verdict of 118-110.
Then at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder marked his return to the ring with a smashing first-round knockout of Robert Helenius. The impressive finish – a right hook that dropped Helenius seconds from the end of the round – was the American’s first fight since he was twice KO’d by Tyson Fury.
During his post-game interview, Wilder, 37, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, expressed interest in a fight against heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, as well as other top contenders who can handle his intimidating power.
“Deontay Wilder is back,” Wilder said in the ring. “The heavyweight excitement is back.”