Savannah Marshall going for gold at World Championships

Savannah Marshall has already completed a full set of World Championship medals but can today give herself a shot at the top two colours.

The Hartlepool boxer takes on number two seed, Nouchka Fontijn, at the semi-finals in Kazakhstan this afternoon.

Marshall booked herself a place at the Olympic Games by reaching the last four with a points win over China’s fourth seed Qian Li on Tuesday.

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That also meant she would return from Astana with at least a bronze medal.

A bronze would be added to a collection which began with a silver at her World Championship debut in Barbados in 2010 when, as a teenager, she went all the way to the U69 final.

She lost out 5-4 to the USA’s Andreccia Wasson, but went all the way in 2012 in China in the U75 division, beating Elena Vystropova to take gold.

It made the Headland ABC star the second British boxer in history (male or female) to win a world amateur title.

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Her coach, Tim Coulter, while thrilled to see his boxer off to a second Olympics, would love to see the 25-year-old go to Brazil either with gold or silver in her pocket.

Fontijn has something of an Indian sign over the Sky Academy boxer, having beaten her three times in succession.

But Coulter is confident Marshall can change that.

“Before she went to the worlds she was hitting harder than she’s ever hit and she was quicker than she’s ever been.

“Savannah has shown how good she is in the worlds this week and she’s good enough to beat Nouchka.

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“It’s a 50-50 fight and while it would seem Nouchka has a hoodoo on her, what better time to break that.”

America’s reigning Olympic and World middleweight champion, Claressa Shields, is in the other semi against Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen.

Today’s semi-finals will be screened on the BBC red button from 2pm.