Disappointed Savannah Marshall praises Claressa Shields after epic undisputed middleweight showdown

Hartlepool’s Marshall headlined an historic all-female event at London’s O2 Arena in a fight which lived up to its billing as the decade long rivalry between her and Shields came to a head.

Marshall and Shields collided from the off in a pulsating contest which saw both fighters land a number of heavy shots throughout 10 rounds of gripping boxing.

Marshall was often the aggressor in rounds but came unstuck against the slick movement and counter-punching of Shields as the two continued to give as good as they got.

But in the end, unfortunately for Marshall, it was the skill and guile of the American that won out as Shields was able to avenge her loss to Marshall from 2012 in stunning style.

“It was a tough fight from the start,” admitted Marshall.

“I knew that with Claressa’s speed and her skill, I knew that I’d have to push her and I’d have to push the pace and try and grind her down.

“I knew she’d start fast. After watching all of Claressa’s fights she’s very strong early on and that was the game plan to try and push her early on.

“But the true athlete that she is, she came out on top and she got the win.”

But despite her disappointment in defeat, Marshall was able to acknowledge the part she played in what was an historic night for boxing and female sport at a sold-out O2.

Marshall said: “I’m disappointed that I came up short but if it’s done anything for female boxing, if it’s pushed the sport, if it’s made young boys and girls want to get in the gym and give it a go then I’ll be happy with that.

“It’s definitely the biggest moment of my career. I just want to thank everyone who bought a ticket and everyone who came down from the North East. It's just amazing.

“There’s times where I struggled to even get on cards and the next thing you know I'm headlining at the O2.”