Savannah Marshall's Olympic destiny in her own hands at World Championships - Adam Smith

Savannah Marshall has the talent but needs to believe if she is to qualify for the Rio Olympics at this week's World Championships......

These are the thoughts of Marshall's mentor and Head of Sky Boxing Adam Smith as she prepares for one of the biggest battles of her career.

Hartlepool's 24-year-old star has one last chance to make Brazil this summer and now needs three wins in Kazakhstan. First up on Friday afternoon is seventh-seeded Azerbaijan fighter Elena Vystropova, the same opponent Marshall conquered to become 2012 World champion.

Adam discusses Savannah's chances, the challenges awaiting her and how the Scholarship team have supported her since her disappointing London Games four years ago....

This is a very testing time for Savannah. We can't do it for her - but we can help her and that's what I've been trying to do over the last few years. She has all the talent in the world and she's had her injuries but ultimately it's down to her now. Fingers crossed she delivers, but it will be tough.

I'm always in contact with her and we're always texting. I've been very passionate about Savannah since the London Olympics. It was a time when I got to meet Anthony Joshua and Anthony Ogogo and we had Savannah come down to Ringside. She was very shy and nervous and it was all boys in her club in Hartlepool. But she's thrived on all of that and it's an incredible story.

She puts loads of pressure on herself though and it's a confidence issue. As a Sky Academy Sports Scholar, she's had a squad around her. She's had Johnny Nelson - who has had his ups and downs, been joked about and ultimately proved everybody wrong. She's also had inspiration from a communications coach and Sky Sports pundit Spencer Oliver.

Savannah is lovely and she's great in her own environment but something switches when she gets into competitions. She gets nervous and it's all about controlling those nerves and getting a rhythm in tournaments. It's strange because she tends to lose in the first round or go on to win a competition.

Savannah has won the Worlds and Commonwealths and then she froze in the last Olympics. She's fitter than ever and injury free so this is in her hands. If she can go in the ring and really believe herself in the first fight then that's a big plus for the rest of the tournament. She just has to find a way in her first fight.

When she feels the pressure she doesn't perform. It also works the other way. She became world champion and everyone thought she'd win Olympic gold in front of thousands of home fans. It was huge pressure. This week she'll be away from home which is good.

She won those World Championships and then the 2014 Commonwealths against all the odds. You don't do that if you can't fight. The talent pool has improved around the world with more women going into the sport, so it has got tougher.

She's fallen off the radar and lost her seeding and so she'll be in Kazakhstan as a wildcard and that's frustrating. In her opening fight though she should beat Vystropova who she defeated to become world champion four years ago.

She needs to keep her at long range and get the jab going. She mustn't let her opponent work harder. The judges look out for that. She can't leave it to chance. She has to treat it like a final but try to relieve the pressure off her shoulders. She has to go in and believe she can win, stamp her authority, get in the centre of the ring and utilise her excellent boxing skills.

She needs to keep boxing every second. It's crucial she wins every minute of the round and not leave it all late where she needs to pull something out in the final round. She needs to show her authority from the opening bell of every round. She just needs to get through, take the pressure off and enjoy the pats on the back.

It's important for her to know she can win in these competitions again. She can win but it's largely up to her. It's about her mentality. It's about her talent. Few people will think she can do it, but it's also about having fun.

There was no gold in London, and I said gold in Rio. She then started losing and I told her to forget gold in Brazil this summer. Let's get to Rio and then have fun and forget about the painted colour. When you're having fun and relaxed that's when you're at your best.

She's an incredibly engaging Scholar to be involved in - she just lacks the ability to fully believe in herself. We've worked so hard on it. She's quiet and you can't always read her.

But she's tough and she can fight. It will be a real shame if she doesn't get to Rio. She has to have a look in the mirror and ask herself 'have I done everything right?'. She now has a chance to put all that right - but this first fight is so crucial.

I will be living and breathing every punch with her…she CAN do this!

WHAT'S COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS

17-20 MAY: Siobhan-Marie O'Connor, Swimming European Championships

19-27 MAY: Savannah Marshall, World Championships in Kazakhstan

22 MAY: Olivia Breen and Jessica Judd, Loughborough Internationals

27 MAY: Lucy Garner, Boels Hills Classic

28 MAY: Jessica Judd, Watford Open

29 MAY: Lucy Garner, Gooik