Women’s boxing takes centre stage this weekend as an historic all-female card hits the O2 Arena in London. The quality on show is incredible, with an undisputed title clash and a unified championship collision occupying the two main event slots. Savannah Marshall’s grudge bout with Claressa Shields will take the top spot, with Mikaela Mayer’s fight with Alycia Baumgardner providing an excellent lead-in.
Marshall against Shields has been a long time coming. WBO champion Savannah and three-belt queen Claressa met as amateurs, with the British fighter emerging victorious. Neither boxer has ever truly let go of that bout in the unpaid ranks. Shields had never lost before and has not been beaten since as a boxer. It is the single blemish on a record-breaking career that has seen her become the only boxer, male or female, to ever hold all four major titles across two divisions simultaneously.
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For Marshall, she has had to watch Shields become an Olympic gold medalist two times over while her own dreams were snuffed out in losing efforts at London 2012 and Rio 2016. While the Hartlepool-born star is an undefeated WBO middleweight champion, she would be the first to admit the achievements of ‘The GWOAT’ currently dwarf her own. In London, Marshall will enter the ring with a woman who has reigned as a world champion at three weights and as an undisputed champion on three separate occasions. Boxers don’t get any more decorated than the American.
But you can’t wear your belts when the bell rings. When the lights dim in the O2 on Saturday, previous accomplishments will count for nothing. The amateur win for Marshall. The medals of Shields. The undisputed middleweight championship that is on the line. All that matters is the two supremely talented fighters meeting in the middle of the ring.
‘The GWOAT’ is not just a nickname, it’s a statement. No fighter has achieved the things Shields has. But Marshall is yet to taste defeat as a pro and has dynamite in her fists. ‘The Silent Assassin’ has not been taken the distance since 2018. Just one of her eight opponents since that unanimous decision victory over Yanina Orozco has even taken her past the fifth round. She is as dangerous as they come. Something has to give in this perfectly-poised championship fight.
If you want to talk about brilliant matchmaking for a world title fight, you must also talk about the co-main event. WBC super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner takes on IBF, WBO and The Ring queen Mikaela Mayer. While this one lacks the long-term grudge of the main event, it does unite two of the best fighters around in what should be a superb collision.
Baumgardner returns to the UK for the third time in a row. She first made waves on these shores by upsetting Terri Harper for the WBC strap in Sheffield last winter. That four-round destruction of ‘Belter’ put ‘The Bomb’ on the map, as Baumgardner became the first fighter to defeat the Brit. The Ohio-born pugilist has obviously found fighting in Britain to be a good omen, as she followed that bout up with a triumph over Edith Soledad Matthysse in Manchester in April.
While these two victories have proven Baumgardner is a major factor in the division, Mayer is a different proposition altogether. The 2016 Olympian is unbeaten as a professional and is coming off wins over former world champions Maiva Hamadouche and Jennifer Han. The 32-year-old has the experience edge and is in the form of her life going into this showdown.
Don’t count out Baumgardner though. Terri Harper made that mistake last year and was knocked out for her troubles. ‘The Bomb’ combines power and ring smarts in a world class stylistic package. Mayer is a master of her craft though, making her a tough prospect for Baumgardner. This will be fascinating to watch and could easily main event a card of its own were it not for Shields and Marshall’s incredible grudge.
Too often we are confronted with boxing cards that boast an entertaining main event and little quality underneath. At the O2 on Saturday we will be treated to back-to-back world title unification main events. On the undercard there are outings for rising star Caroline Dubois, Olympians Lauren Price and Karriss Artingstall and the popular Ebonie Jones. It is a show rich with quality and one not to be missed.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
