Claressa Shields has made a living on making history.
After winning Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016, she would become the quickest man or woman in boxing history to win world championships in three different weight classes. She has ruled as undisputed queen in two of them and is one of the most decorated fighters in the game at just 27.
The only blemish on an otherwise perfect career dates back to a 2012 amateur contest; the source of an intense and perennially acrimonious rivalry with Savannah Marshall that has grown into one of the biggest in the sport. On Saturday, it culminates in their undisputed middleweight title showdown at the O2 Arena, almost five weeks later than billed after their original date was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Shields, then 17-years old, lost that World Championship contest in China 10 years ago. ‘It means nothing now,’ the Michigan fighter calmly says, recalling the fight. What she has accomplished since then does, however.
‘I have earned all my stripes and truth be told, she hasn’t,’ Shields told Metro.co.uk. ‘Because she is from the UK and because she was Olympian that has put her on a high pedestal. But she is not there. I have earned it with 12 worlds titles, with two Olympic gold medals.
‘The reason why we are fighting in the headline fight at the O2 Arena is because of me. All my achievements. All my hard work. She thinks she has done something to deserve to be there. That can’t be something you did 10 years ago. Her beating me as an amateur does not matter. I have already proven that I am the better fighter multiple times.’
While her unprecedented success has her regarded as one of the best female fighters on the planet – perhaps only seconded by lightweight queen Katie Taylor – revenge has never been far from Shields’ mind. But beating her is not enough. The mission is to break Marshall and make her quit.
‘Savannah suffered in making it to the Olympics twice and not even winning a bronze medal. She went to World Championships, people had so much hype for her and she didn’t win nothing after 2012,’ IBF, WBA and WBC champion Shields said. ‘I think her losing to me this weekend is going to play a lot in her head and in her heart.
‘Can she bounce back? I hope so, for her sake. If she still wants to be an undisputed champion at 168lbs [super-middleweight] or maybe 175lbs [light-heavyweight], I wish her the best of luck. I just don’t wish her the best of luck against me. I know she won’t beat me. Whatever she wants to do next is on her. But I think she is a bit broken already.’
While backed for her own Olympic success, Hartlepool’s Marshall was eliminated at the first hurdle in London 2012 and then again in Rio 2016. Until recently, she had risen to the summit of professional boxing with relatively little fanfare, at least compared to her American rival.
Like Shields, Marshall has a perfect 12-0 record having picked up her WBO middleweight title with a knockout victory over Hannah Rankin in 2019. Rankin is one of the two opponents both women have shared the ring with over the years. But while they have near-identical records, Shields insists she has done things the hard way, accusing her rival of picking easy targets over the years.
‘Look at her record with a fine-tooth comb. There are a lot of bums there,’ she said. ‘Men are doing it in boxing all the time, they fight fighters with losing records to build their own records up. But in women’s boxing, that’s not respect.
‘Look at my record with a fine-tooth comb. Those girls from day one was heavy hitters. A lot of them undefeated, some had one or two losses.
‘Savannah has built her record fighting smaller girls on three days’ notice, a weeks’ notice, and she is knocking them out. Girls who are inactive.
‘Yes, she got the win in the amateurs but after that I excelled, I soared. And she tiptoed. And now she’s here. But I’ve already gone to another level. I’ve got 12 world titles.
‘f you’re so much better than me, how come you don’t have 12 world titles? You’ve come to 160lbs [middleweight, having previously fought at super-middleweight] and now you are just the biggest and the baddest fighter, fighting girls on a weeks’ notice. Give me a break.’
While the profile of women’s boxing has grown enormously over the last three years it can be argued that Shields vs Marshall is its first genuine world title rivalry, with the enmity shared across the Atlantic potent and genuine.
Both stand to make more money than they have in any other fight with a rematch clause meaning Saturday is unlikely to be the last these two see of each other. But Shields’ mission is to make sure Marshall wants none of it.
‘We both have that in our contracts, we can both activate a rematch, I believe,’ she said. ‘When you have fought at the world title level as much as I have, you have that in most of the contracts.
‘There were rematch clauses against Christina Hammer, Femke Hermans, Hannah Rankin. A free match clause. They didn’t activate them.
‘Because I go in there and destroy girls, I destroy their mind and their heart. I make them think again about boxing. They rewatch our fight and know that after spending eight-to-10 weeks in camp they weren’t even able to win a round. It can make you think different. Knockouts are great, but I can outclass any girl in boxing.’
MORE : Savannah Marshall prepares for her historic clash with Claressa Shields: ‘I don’t do trash talk. To me, this is all business’
MORE : ‘She is terrified’ – Claressa Shields hoping Savannah Marshall does not back out of summer showdown with agreement close
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