Undisputed World Middleweight Championship On The Line When Claressa Shields And Savannah Marshall Square Off At The O2, London on Saturday live on ESPN+ & FITETV in the U.S. and Sky Sports in UK
Shields – Marshall & Mikaela Mayer – Alycia Baumgardner will be streaming LIVE on ESPN+ at 2:30 p.m. ET – Main event ringwalks are scheduled for 5 p.m. ET
There were numerous heated verbal exchanges between Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields at the pre-fight press conference in London as the two faced a room packed with media ahead of this weekend’s long-awaited Undisputed World Middleweight Championship contest.
What time is Savannah Marshall vs Claressa Shields?
- The main card is set to get underway at 2 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. BST with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 5 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. BST.
- ESPN+ will broadcast the fight in the U.S., while Sky Sports has been named the UK broadcaster.
- The fight takes place at the O2 Arena in London.
WBO Middleweight Champion, Savannah Marshall
“I’ve always respected Claressa, but she doesn’t like that I have an opinion. I saw her box and I thought it was a diabolical performance. She ran down people’s throats that she was going to get a spectacular knockout, and I watched it for 10 rounds, drifted off, and told her how I felt.
“I’ve never said I’m going to knock her out, I’ve said I’m going to hurt her. She’s a bully and she’s going to wake up on the canvas. I can’t wait to take all those belts off her and become the Undisputed Middleweight Champion.”
CLARESSA SHIELDS
On how she feels in training…
“My body feels good and looks good too. I’m in great spirits. Everybody keeps asking me about my nerves. Sadly, I don’t have any nerves before any fight. I’m super excited to fight. I don’t know why, but I just enjoy it.
“Training camp is really the hardest part leading up to the fight. People say that the fight is going to be the hardest part, and I just don’t believe that the fight will be harder than me putting in three different training sessions per day with four miles of sprints and then me coming to the gym and doing the second session. I don’t believe that one night and a 10-round fight with Savannah Marshall, or any other woman, would be harder than my training.”
On the rivalry with Marshall…
“I don’t know if I dislike (Marshall) more, or was it Christina Hammer? I don’t know. I know both of them are just idiots. Savannah Marshall, she says some of the dumbest things… She said if she walked around calling herself the G.W.O.A.T. that her friends would slap her. As they should… You have one belt. Please don’t call yourself the G.W.O.A.T. Please don’t. The only people who I think have any right to call themselves the G.W.O.A.T. is Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. Everyone else, zip it. Savannah Marshall, zip it. You’ve been pro for five years and only have one belt. Of course, your friends should slap you. I should slap you for you talking about wanting to be the G.W.O.A.T., or you’re the G.W.O.A.T. because you beat me 10 years ago.”
To those that are doubting her in this fight…
“To all of you that are doubting me, just make sure you apologize after the fight. Say, ‘We were wrong.’ You don’t have to say you’re the G.W.O.A.T. Just say, ‘We were wrong, you’re the best and we respect you.’ And that you respect my hard work and my accomplishments because (Marshall) was the fluke. Her beating me in 2012 before the Olympics was the fluke of her career. That was her biggest achievement. After that, downhill. It wasn’t a fluke that I won the 2012 Olympics because I won it again, and I won the world championships three times after that. So, she was the fluke, and she’s still a fluke because she’s knocked out a whole bunch of bums.”
On Marshall’s power…
“This whole talk is overblown. A lot of people don’t really realize how many haters I have. I’m one of the most sought-after women boxers and people pay a lot of attention to me, but I have a lot of haters because of how great I am. It’s kind of like I’m Floyd Mayweather, but in a woman’s body, you know.
“So, they want me to lose and they’re going to say anything to make her feel like she’s better. I mean look, I accept her knockout because they’re there. She’s 12-0 with 10 knockouts, but go and look at those girls’ records and then tell me whether she should be knocking them out, or not. And you’re going to say, ‘Yea, you should be knocking out somebody that’s 4-25. You should be knocking out somebody that’s 11-75.’ Plus, you’re fighting them on three days’ notice, a week’s notice. You’re supposed to knock girls out like that.”
On the importance of this fight…
“It’s important to win every fight. (Marshall) doesn’t hold a special place in my heart to where I want to beat her more than I want to beat anyone else in my life. No, that’s not it. I think that people that I think too highly of her. I think she’s a good fighter. I think she’s a big girl for the weight class. But she’s not as skilled as me. She’s not as smart as me, and she doesn’t know how to adjust. That’s what we’re going to see..”
Bob Arum, Hall of Fame Promoter: “People years from now will be talking about this event in the history of boxing. Two huge multi-world title fights and hugely talented women down the whole card. This event will go down in boxing history.”
WBC, IBF & WBA Middleweight Champion, Claressa Shields: “When I win on Saturday night, it will be a great victory. This isn’t my first time in a fight for the undisputed championship, this isn’t my first time having a hard training camp, and it isn’t my first time being the underdog. I can’t wait to have the opportunity to silence the doubters about Savannah’s alleged knockout power.
“I’ve never seen someone live off an amateur win for 10 years of their career. I’ve dominated this sport for 10 years. I won the Olympics, then I won it again. Then I turned professional and won world titles from my 4th fight.
“Champions are not made, they’re born. And I was born to do this.”
WBO & IBF Super Featherweight Champion, Mikaela Mayer: “I’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point in my career, so there’s no way I’m stopping now. It’s going to be just as hard to stay in the position I’m in as it was to get here. I’ve gone back and forth with Alycia in the past but I respect her enough to know she’s going to push me hard on Saturday night.
“At this stage of my career I can fight in many ways. If this has to be a dog fight, I’ll win a dog fight. If it has to be a boxing match, I’ll win a boxing match. I can beat her any way the fight goes. I’m going to take her into deep waters, I’m going to take her to places she’s never been before.”
WBC Super Featherweight Champion, Alycia Baumgardner: “This will be a historic night and I can’t wait to be part of it.
“I’m ready to go for Saturday and have been preparing for this moment for a very long time. I’m at the top of my game and I’ve been boxing for 20 years for this fight. This Saturday is really going to mark my spot in this sport, who I am as an athlete. I was born for this, made for this, and this is my moment.”
Olympic Gold Medalist, Lauren Price: “I feel proud and privileged to be on this phenomenal card. I’m planning on taking my time in the professional ranks, after all my amateur success. I just want to look classy in every performance and take step ups every time.”
Caroline Dubois: “Having been to the O2 this week, and seeing the atmosphere as fight week has built, it’s showing me the size of this occasion. Now I can’t wait to get in the ring in a venue bigger than I’ve ever fought in and deliver a great performance.
“Women’s boxing moves so fast, before you know it in your career you’re fighting former world champions, and world title challengers, but I’m ready to deliver on Saturday night.”
Olympic Bronze Medalist, Karriss Artingstall: “I’m hoping to show the things I’ve been working on in camp on Saturday night. I need to start my knockout reel pretty soon so hopefully I can start it off and get the stoppage in this fight.
“I want to move as fast as my performances allow me, if I’m winning in style, then I’ll keep making big steps in every fight. The talent across the whole card is absolutely incredible, the main event and the co-main could headline any card going, and I feel so blessed to be part of it.”
Georgia O’Connor: “This is a great event for our sport and I can’t believe I get to be part of it, but I have to focus on my own fight and getting the victory to progress for my career.”
Ebonie Jones: “I’m feeling better than I ever have before and I’m looking forward to taking another step in my career on Saturday night at such a great event. But for me it’s all about getting another victory.”
April Hunter: “I’m proud to be representing the North-east at this event, just like Savannah is. I’ve had a set-back already in my career, and that’s just motivating to give everything I have in all my fights, including on Saturday night.”
Shannon Ryan: “I can’t wait for Saturday night. To be performing on this stage so early in my professional career is amazing, but I’m looking to make a statement. My style is suited to the professional game much more than it ever was for the amateurs, so I’m ready to kick on.”
