Just under a month from now, on September 10th at London’s 02 Arena. Boxxer and Matchroom have come together to make history in women’s boxing and women’s sports in general.
It will be the first all-women boxing card. A card where the headliner and chief support will rival each other for the biggest grudge fight, and possibly best fight on the card.
Following on from the epic 12-round battle of Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano, which was undoubtedly one of the fights of the year.
The success in football of the women’s European championships, where England’s Lionesses made history. Added to the ongoing successes of the UFC women’s division, epic fights and champions over the years, women’s sport continues to go from strength to strength.
This all-female boxing card will add to that ever-growing history, and although the nature of this event is unprecedented and extremely significant.
What I love about what Boxer and Matchroom are doing, is the fact that these are legit big fights, regardless of gender.
These are not fights that have just been thrown together for the sake of the event, but in the main event and chief support. We have two fights with four skilled fighters at the top of their games, with genuine needle and dislike towards each other.
All four fighters have engaged in a war of words online and face to face, which has really stoked the fires.
Revenge or Repeat?
The unified WBF, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO middleweight titles will be on the line, when Hartlepool’s Savannah Marshall clashes with the two-division unified world champion Claressa Shields.
We will know the back story where Marshall beat a 17-year-old Shields, 10 years ago in an amateur ABA tournament in China which sparked their rivalry.
It was Shield’s only defeat in boxing, and you can say it’s a defeat that has haunted her while making Marshall’s name due to the success of both fighters.
However, both fighters are very different to the ones who clashed in the amateurs a decade ago, and both have been keen to tell the other this exact thing every chance they get.
You could say it’s a classic boxer versus puncher fight. Although Shields has gone on to make history, her only criticism is that in her 12 pro fights, she only has two stoppages. Though she has soundly beaten her opponents, going 12 rounds leaves the door open for a puncher.
That puncher is Savannah Marshall. She has stopped 10 0f her 12 opponents, including Femke Hermans and Hannah Ranking, who both went 12 rounds with Shields.
This tells you that Marshall, definitely has the power, but can she set up her shots against the slick punching and slick moving Shields?
Judging by the intense build-up, emotions could play a big part in this fight.
With Marshall predicting a knockout, she could get overzealous and exert too much energy going for the knockout, which could play into Shields’ slick boxing hands.
However, Shield’s seems ticked off by Marshall and that one defeat. With her only real criticism being her lack of power at the top level and not being able to finish her opponents, it may make her go all out to prove a point.
This could cause Shields to walk onto a big shot from Marshall. That’s what makes this fight so intriguing. Either way, if the build-up is anything to go by, this fight has the ingredients to be classic.
Whose the real, real deal?
As stated earlier, the chief support on this card has been every much as feisty and intense as the main card.
Some of the back and forth between WBC and IBO super featherweight title holder Alycia Baumgardner, and the WBA and IBF super featherweight title holder Mikaela Mayer, has been downright vicious.
Mayer is the slight favourite having much more experience with an unblemished record of 17 wins from 17 fights.
She has been a champion since 2020, and if you saw her last two wins on points, you will know she is a tough, strong, come-forward fighter, who likes to brawl.
Baumgardner is a slick boxer/puncher with superb footwork and deceiving power, which she demonstrated as she stopped Terri Harper with one devastating punch in the fourth round.
Both fighters have ridiculed the others’ fight records, ability to fight, and take a punch. Both claim the other is a fake champion. By the sounds of it, neither will take a back step when they collide, and judging by their words, it could be an all-out brawl.
As I said previously, I make Mayer the slight favourite due to her experience, but she is not a big puncher and will have to rely on her strength and endurance.
Whereas Baumgardner has seven stoppages from her eleven wins, and has been predicting another stoppage. With both delivering scathing words and relentless verbal attacks online, this fight could well be a show stealer.
Let’s get ready to make history
All in all, it is gearing up to be a monumental event in the history of women’s boxing. All credit to Boxxer and Matchroom, who will be making history in and outside the ring.
I am really excited for the two main fights, where the fighters have a genuine dislike for each other, and have been making sure the other knows just how much with every opportunity they get.
But more importantly, it’s four fighters who can absolutely fight, are at the very top of their games and are ready to show it came September 10th.
To add to those two fights, also on the undercard is the Olympic gold medallists Lauren Price MBE in her second professional outing. As well as her partner and fellow Olympian Karriss Artingstall.
Along with the youth Olympic, world and European champion, the 3-0 Caroline Dubios, on this history-making card, that fans will be looking forward to and one that I hope will be the first of many.
