Savannah Marshall this time overcame a majestic American.
The British boxer, after losing to weight queen Claressa Shields in the 160-pound division, turned the tide by overtaking Franchon Crews-Dezurn to claim her undisputed 168-pound title on Wednesday. Seven in Manchester, England.
One referee gave a 95-95 draw but the other two gave Marshall a win, 99-92 and 97-93. Boxing Junkie also scores 97-93 for Marshall, seven innings to three.
The moment Savannah Marshall was crowned undisputed champion
✨@Savmarshall1| @boxxer ✨ pic.twitter.com/hrtNKAwqMm
– Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) July 1, 2023
“Good night,” Massall said beamingly afterward. “I can’t describe how I feel right now.”
Marshall (13-1, 10 KOs) faced Shields’ superhuman skill set in October, when she lost a unanimous decision and her middleweight belt in London. She had to deal with brute force against the Crews-Dezurn.
The Baltimore boxer maintained pressure on Marshall throughout the match, cornering her and often hitting Marshall roughly in a match that quickly turned into an ugly combination of wrestling and boxing.
The problem for Crews-Dezurn is that she doesn’t do much when the fighters are close together, as they nearly always end up in a tug-of-war that causes tough referee Victor Loughlin to disband.
Meanwhile, Marshall, the better boxer of the two, did a great job delivering sharp, precise punches when she had the space to do it. It’s clear that she’s made cleaner shots, which should help her score.
She later admitted that she was involved in a physically demanding fight when asked if it was as hard as it looked.
“Even harder,” she said. “I think I broke her arm on top of her head. She is a tough, tough woman.”
Marshall wants another tough test next: A second shot at the Shield, though Shadasia Green is the new champion’s must-competitor in two of the four main sanctioning bodies.
Marshall made it clear several times before Saturday’s match and in the ring afterward that she wanted a rematch, though this time it’s 168 because she can no longer hit 160. In fact, she said directly to Shields, who is in Manchester to support Crews-Dezurn, “Let’s start at 168.”
Shields did not express any eagerness to face Marshall again. However, the second game will be very interesting and the chance to fight for another undisputed championship could be very attractive for Shields.
Marshall’s promoter, Ben Shalom, seemed to say he would be targeting Shields and made it clear that the American star would have to put on some weight, even though Shields beat Crews-Dezurn at 168th in 2016 and kept two titles in 2017 and 2018.
“What’s next? I think we know,” Shalom said. must happen.”
