Unified female middleweight world champion Claressa Shields has made it clear that the loss against Savannah Marshall as an amateur has no impact on her as she prepares to cross paths with her longtime rival in September.
Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall will lock horns for the undisputed female middleweight crown this 10th of September at the O2 Arena in London. Shields’ WBA, WBC and IBF titles will be on the line, versus Marshall’s WBO belt up for grab to crown the new four belt world champion.
Marshall remains is the only boxer ever to defeat the “GWOAT” in the squared circle. Back in 2012, the two had crossed paths as amateurs at the World Boxing Championships and in the second round, she defeated Shields to progress into a gold medal finish and has recently called her rival a “bully”.
Savannah Marshall lost every tournament she was in after our fight: Claressa Shields
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70870988/144473834.0.jpg "Claressa Shields \"Doesn't Care\" About Amateur Loss To Savannah Marshall: She’s Lightyears Behind Me 2")
Shields, the two time Olympic gold medallist and three-division champion in pro boxing, however, is not hung up on that loss from a decade back and during a media workout held at the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit on Wednesday, said that her focus remains on to the upcoming grudge fight.
“I only lost in the amateurs in boxing,” said Shields, “I’ve never lost in professional boxing. I’m undefeated. I lost to her 10 years ago in the amateurs by six points. It was 14-8. But that really doesn’t bother me at all because I’ve been able to be successful after that. On the other hand, you’ve got (Marshall) who lost every tournament she was in after our fight, and in those same tournaments I won gold.”
“So having one loss in the amateurs and being able to turn pro and do everything that I’ve done since, I don’t really care about (that loss),” the 27-year-old went on, “But I think it’s a great story and storyline, and I guess we’ve got history. She doesn’t like me. I don’t like her, and I’m looking forward to fighting in six weeks.”
“Marshall has been quiet since the press conference. She was quiet during our sit together. I was thinking she would have more energy and more spite. But when we were face-to-face she tucked her tail, and that just showed me right there that she didn’t want this fight. She knows she’s not going to win this fight. I saw her do an interview where she had a black eye. So they’ve been trying to put her through all kinds of stuff in sparring to make sure she’s ready. But the truth is she’s lightyears behind me,” Shields added. [H/T goforitradio.com]
