Watch Savannah Marshall vs Femke Hermans live on Sky Sports Main Event from 8pm Saturday; Florian Marku takes on Chris Jenkins while upcoming star Brad Rea is also in action.
Thursday 31 March 2022 10:09, UK
Savannah Marshall's prospective undisputed showdown with Claressa Shields awaits as the biggest fight in women's boxing history, believes Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom.
The Silent Assassin has a Femke Hermans-shaped obstacle standing between her and long-term rival Shields, with the Belgian looming as something of a silent assassin herself as the forgotten woman ahead of Saturday's clash in Newcastle.
Marshall is famously the only fighter to have beaten Shields in the ring, her triumph dating back to amateur level at the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships.
Shalom says everything is in place for the two to meet again, providing Marshall comes through her next test.
"Not to put pressure on Savannah I expect her to deal with Claressa so this fight should be no problem," Shalom told Sky Sports.
"The negotiations are just getting to the end now, it's just a matter of days before we finish that. I am already thinking about Savannah Claressa, it's the first fight we wanted to make when we came to Sky.
"It's a fight they both want, you need great rivals, women's boxing has probably always struggled with that as it grows as a sport in its own right.
"It's the first fight in women's boxing where there's genuine rivalry and dislike. I think this is going to go off the scale in terms of women's boxing."
Shields is set to be ringside for her middleweight foe's headline event, just as Marshall was when the American beat Ema Kozin on the undercard of Chris Eubank vs Liam Williams in February.
But Marshall knows she cannot afford to look beyond the "awkward" former world champion Hermans.
"I've got Femke on Saturday, get past her and there's nothing standing between me and Claressa. Get past Femke and then hopefully me and Claressa in the summer," said Marshall.
"It's definitely my hardest fight to date, former world champion, only been beaten by world champions, I'm expecting a tough night.
"I know I need to beat Femke to get that fight, I'd never run away with the Claressa thing.
"Claressa has been mentioned for the last four or five years so it's nothing new to me."
Marshall jokes she thinks people have forgotten she is due to fight Hermans this weekend, such is the anticipation ahead of a seemingly-inevitable meet with Shields.
Intrigue surrounding the rivalry is fuelled by not only the pair's history, but a striking clash in styles and attributes; Marshall's strength lies in her power and timing while Shields prides herself on speed and calculation. And that is not to say neither can switch it up.
The Hartlepool fighter has recently been touted as the hardest-hitting puncher in women's boxing - a title she is willing to embrace.
"I know I can punch, but it's the way Peter (trainer Peter Fury) has got me punching," she added. "I believe everyone can dig a bit but people just don't punch properly where Peter has got me punching properly, let's just put it all on Peter!
"Amanda Serrano has probably double the knockouts to what I've had fights, but I am middleweight, I'm the heavyweight of female boxing weight wise, so why not? I'll own it."
Overcome Hermans, and a clash Shields beckons in the summer.
Asked how she envisions the next six to 12 months, Marshall admitted: "I see all my dreams coming true."
