Hartlepool boxer Savannah Marshall faces potential World Championship quarter-final with Claressa Shields

But the reigning title holder will not even be thinking about the American teenager yet.

That is the view of the coach who knows her best – Headland ABC boss Tim Coulter.

World champion v Olympic queen is a mouthwatering proposition at the quarter-final stage in South Korea, providing the two top fighters get over their first hurdles.

Marshall will begin the defence of her middleweight world crown on Thursday by boxing the winner of the last 32 contest between Emily Jimenez and Iaroslava Iakushina.

Jimenez and Iakushina will be battling it out in the last 32 stage in tomorrow afternoon’s session on Jeju Island.

They are bout 127 of the tournament with Shields v Hellen Baleka, from Uganda, the next fight in the ring at the Halla Gymnasium.

While Marshall v Shields may have pundits and fans whetting their lips with excitement, Coulter says it will not have even crossed the mind of his boxer.

“It is a great contest and you always knew they were going to fight each other at some point,” Coulter told SportMail.

“But Savannah will have taken it in her stride.

“Her and the coaches will be concentrating on the job in hand.

“That is a bout with either Jimenez or Iakushina on Thursday.

“You can’t just think about Claressa Shields and I know Savannah won’t even have thought about her yet.

“Savannah will take it one bout at a time and no more.”

Marshall will be an interested spectator at the South Korean venue tomorrow afternoon.

If it goes to form, it looks likely she will be faced with a last 16 clash with former foe Iakushina.

The 21-year-old is an ex-World Youth champion and has eclipsed world number two Nadheza Torlopova as Russia’s leading middleweight.

But Jimenez is no dummy having just reached the final of the Central American Championship last month.

“I don’t really know anything about Jimenez, but Savannah beat Iakushina in the World Combat games last year,” said Coulter.

“I will watch the bout to see if there are any pointers I can see and Savannah and the coaches will be doing the same at the venue.”

Two England boxers were in action at Jeju Island yesterday.

Lisa Whiteside made progress at U51 kilos when she gained a unanimous points decision over Yana Burym of Belarus.

But there was disappointment for Stacey Copeland in the U69 division.

The Manchester boxer had the misfortune to be drawn against Elena Vystropova, the Azabaijan boxer Marshall defeated in the U75 kilo final at the 2012 worlds.

The Russian-born boxer won on all the judges scorecards.