Savannah Marshall may have lost her unbeaten professional record as well as her titles, but she isn’t planning to go back down to eight round fights.
I believe I’m at world level: Savannah Marshall
The two-time Olympian and former WBO middleweight champion suffered a loss to Claressa Shields back in October last year, which marked her first loss as a pro, as well as ended her title reign.
Now, as “Silent Assassin” is gearing up to make a comeback against Franchon Crews-Dezurn, the reigning undisputed super middleweight world champion, she revealed that the loss to Shields hasn’t diminished her hunger to compete at world level one bit.
“How can I go, after losing my world title, back down to eight rounds,” said Marshall during the press conference in London for the announcement of the Franchon fight. “Fans have supported me. Fans from Hartlepool traveling all across the country, pulling hard for me. How can I jump into an eight round and want to build myself again? I believe I’m at world level. These are the sort of fights I want.”
Marshall vs Franchon will be heading to the AO Arena in Manchester on 17th June- on the undercard of the Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr. rematch. As she aims to make a winning comeback, Marshall is aware of the caliber of her opponent, and isn’t underestimating Franchon’s capabilities.
“I’m coming up on 32 (years of age) now. I’ve been boxing for 21 years. If I’m not ready now, I will never be,” she went on. “Time is of the essence and time doesn’t wait for anyone. If I can’t mix it up with Franchon, then why am I even boxing?”
“I am very confident that I win. I’m not underestimating Franchon. She’s a tough, rugged champion but I believe I beat her,” she added. [H/T Boxingscene.com]
