Claressa Shields secured a unanimous decision victory over Savannah Marshall to become the undisputed middleweight champion of the world. The GWOAT avenged her 2012 amateur loss to the Brit in an exciting back-and-forth affair.
In the same city where she won her Olympic gold medal, Shields impressed again in front of a hostile crowd. However, in typical GWOAT fashion, she won them over in the end with her gutsy display.
Shields came out of the blocks with a flurry of hard shots that seemingly stunned the beloved Hartlepool boxer in the opening round. In response, Marshall had Shields on the ropes at the beginning of the second round but the American tucked up and absorbed the onslaught before returning with her own work.
Early investment to the body appeared to pay dividends for Shields as Marshall began to slow midway through the fight.
After the fight, an emotional Shields said: “I just want to thank God because I’ve been working hard for a very long time and no one has given me credit but after that display tonight and after a tough opponent. You know, I couldn’t even see out of my right eye round six through ten because she does hit hard. But I bit down and I did what I do in training and I got the job done.”