Savannah Marshall details the emotional rollercoaster she has been on since the cancellation of the Claressa Shields fight and her mindset now going into the rescheduled undisputed championship clash this Saturday: watch Shields vs Marshall live on Sky Sports
Tuesday 11 October 2022 06:17, UK
Savannah Marshall gets to relive the biggest week of her life all over again.
That is how the WBO champion feels at the start of fight week, after her undisputed title clash with arch-rival Claressa Shields was rescheduled for this Saturday (October 15).
Marshall has been on an emotional rollercoaster to reach this point. She heard the news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II only the evening before she was due to weigh in for the original fight date. Marshall had prepared for almost everything, but not for this.
Making the weight is taxing enough for a big middleweight, but at once Marshall had realised the fight itself was in doubt.
"It was in the back of my mind," Marshall said. "I think subconsciously I accepted it then."
The weigh-in was postponed, hours before the fight itself would be called off. "I half knew then, I had a feeling it was going to get pulled but I couldn't let myself think like that," she said. "It couldn't be helped.
"A lot of people have lost a lot of money and that was the hardest part of the whole thing for me."
Still she collected her thoughts on a day when history was unfolding in London. "I went to Buckingham Palace with my sister and my friend, we went to go and pay respects," Marshall said. "It was just totally out of everybody's hands."
Having weeks to regroup for this October 15 date was essential. "I had a week off, and I needed it. More mentally," Marshall explained.
"All the emotion of fight week, the fight actually getting cancelled, so I felt emotionally drained and I didn't get out of bed for a couple of days after, so I really needed that week to just kind of forget about boxing.
"I was disappointed. I was trying to be positive but I was disappointed, I was upset. The 'it always happens to me' kind of vibe."
Her mindset switched two weeks later when she was watching another boxing match on TV.
"There was a show the second weekend after and I remember sitting there thinking if I'd have boxed on September 10, it would just be yesterday's news and before you know it, it's over and there's another show on. Time literally doesn't wait for no one, but I'm lucky enough that I get fight week all again," she said.
"I get to savour these memories twice."
She could even enjoy these additional weeks of camp. "Training has been really hard, it's been brutal. For me when the fight did get pulled straightaway I thought, 'Oh God, I couldn't handle another month of training'. But obviously it's not a case of just going back and hammering it again," she said.
"Because I was already tapering down, my fitness was already there. It's all been about keeping sharp. I can't get any fitter, so it's just about maintaining the fitness."
Marshall has every intention of taking in the fight week all over again, and then making the most of the greatest fight of her life.
"I can't allow myself to overlook this fight, to overlook Claressa," Marshall said. "Even if there's a rematch, I'll never get a fight as big as this, ever. Ever.
"There is no rematch clause. She says there is but there is no rematch clause. There'll be a rematch if there's demand for a rematch.
"For me, I get one roll of the dice. And it's all or nothing."
All tickets purchased for original Shields vs Marshall date remain valid for October 15. Last remaining tickets can be purchased at boxxer.com.
