Savannah Marshall confronted by Claressa Shields after Franchon Crews-Dezurn triumph

A little over eight months ago, in the early hours of Sunday, October 16, Hartlepool’s Marshall shuffled into a packed out media room somewhere in the bowels of London’s O2 Arena having to quickly come to terms with the first loss of her professional boxing career.

Marshall cut a dejected figure, as you would expect, as well as being physically and mentally drained after what had been a sapping programme with long-time rival Claressa Shields.

To make matters worse for Marshall, the brash American was in full-flow with the media having further cemented her status as the ‘Greatest Woman Of All Time’ with her unanimous decision victory.

Fast forward to the present day, the clock had ticked a little over midnight and Marshall was back in a cornered off media room in the depths of a UK arena.

This time however, Marshall wore a smile wide enough to stretch across the Pennines from Manchester’s AO Arena back to her native Hartlepool, for this time she had done it.

In October Marshall listened on alongside a sold-out O2 as the referee read out the judges’ scorecards, all three of which were unanimous in their decision to award Shields victory.

On Saturday in Manchester, Marshall may have got that sinking feeling once more when judge Paul Wallace’s card of 95-95 was read out. But scores of 99-92 and 97-93 followed as Marshall was given a majority decision over Crews-Dezurn to finally clinch her dream of becoming an undisputed champion of the world.

Flanked by Boxxer’s Ben Shalom and trainer Peter Fury, Marshall peered over her new WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF titles to address the media once more.

“I feel absolutely amazing,” she said.

“I came up short in October and it was the worst feeling in the world, my world was over for a couple of weeks.

“But I stuck with it. I believed in my dreams and here I am with all the belts.

“I’ve been trying to cherish it all week – the build-up, the ring walk – because I’ll never get that moment again.

“I’m over the moon. I’ve finally become undisputed."

To get that moment, Marshall had to deal with a gritty, rugged fighter in Crews-Dezurn.

The American made it a gruelling encounter from the get-go with the fight, at times, representing more of a wrestling match as both boxers tumbled to the canvas on occasion.

But it was Marshall who would assert herself more in a boxing sense, landing the more clear, punishing shots throughout the 10 rounds as she bounced back from that loss to Shields.

“I knew Franchon was tough, but what a woman. Honestly, she’s amazing,” said Marshall.

“I think it was very physical, and she might have nicked some of the early rounds, but she was the champion so I was always going to be up against it.

“She’s got a head like concrete and I knew she’d make it physical, I knew I’d be on the floor at one point. I was just glad it wasn’t from a punch.

“I knew she’d keep coming for the full 10 rounds – she said it all through the build-up how she’s been through hell and back and she’d do that to try and keep hold of the belts.

“But I’ve come through it and here we are, undisputed super middleweight champion of the world.”

Despite her loss to Shields in October, Marshall’s world, arguably, transformed for the better.

And with this success over Crews-Dezurn putting her back at the top of women’s boxing, her star will only continue to rise with all roads, potentially, leading back to Shields somewhere down the line.

Marshall’s success was enough to draw the attention of the undisputed middleweight champion who gatecrashed the press conference in Manchester to make her feelings known, as a war of words ensued between the two.

“You know what’s up with me,” Shields declared.

“I’m going to let you have your moment but you know why I’m here. Come out to the USA and you can get smoked again.

“You talk about being drained at 160lb and how you can't make it. Let’s just be real, that’s just being lazy because you can’t make 160lb like I can make 160lb.

“But if you want me to be more hydrated and stronger at 168lb then let’s go. I beat you, and I’ll beat you again. You’re delusional.”

“You’re delusional thinking I’m going to come to Detroit,” Marshall snapped back.

“Who wants to go to Detroit? Where are we going to go, in your leisure centre? You can’t fill a bus.”

“I’m going to smoke you,” said Shields. “I’m smoking you. You can’t beat me.”

“You couldn’t smoke 20 Lamberts. Sit down,” Marshall responded.

It could have gone on and on, you feel, before tensions were simmered.

But that pantomime, if you will, is why these three women, Marshall, Shields and Crews-Dezurn, have been key in pushing women’s boxing to new heights, particularly at the higher weight classes.

The press conference came to an end as Marshall made her way out of the room and away from her protagonist, Shields.

The invariable story between those two will undoubtedly continue over the coming weeks and months as they look to agree over a rematch – Marshall herself admitting in the wake of her super middleweight success that it remains ‘the biggest fight out there in female boxing.’

But that is for another day, at least.

For now, this moment is about Marshall and the dreams of a young girl who punched her way into the sport in Hartlepool’s Headland gym all the way to a fourth headline spot at the top of the professional game.

I guess sweet dreams really are made of this.