Joe Ramage: The challenging decision for sport as Savannah Marshall and Hartlepool United see fixtures postponed

Regardless of your stance on the monarchy, the announcement of the Queen’s passing on Thursday, September 8 was one of those seismic moments in history where you will remember where you were, who you were with and what you were doing.

But as the nation mourned, and continues to do so, the complex nature of sport was brought into conflict with how to honour Her Majesty and pay its respects.

Some, defiantly, chose to play on over the weekend. Others did not.

Two of those who felt their tributes and respects were best symbolised by postponing fixtures were football and boxing - and in that both Hartlepool United and Savannah Marshall were unable to fulfil their duties over the weekend.

Pools were set to host Doncaster Rovers in another important League Two fixture for manager Paul Hartley, while Hartlepool’s own WBO middleweight queen Marshall was set to challenge for the right to become undisputed against rival Claressa Shields in London.

But were both sports right to call off their events?

The Queen was often admired for her stoic nature, particularly in recent years, while sport always remained an enthusiasm.

Could, therefore, sport have continued? After all, there was ‘no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures’ as issued by the Government, with the decision being at the discretion of each individual organisation.

For cricket, rugby and horse racing, they all believed the right way was to proceed - while global events such as Formula 1 and tennis continued with their Italian Grand Prix and US Open events respectively, while paying tributes in their own way.

When the EFL returned in midweek Pools, and their opponents Crewe Alexandra, demonstrated their show of respect with a minute’s silence followed by the national anthem being played - a display re-enacted across the nations football grounds. But could that not have been done on Saturday, too?

You can argue a case for both decisions being made, but for Marshall, in particular, it will have been a difficult one to stomach.

For Pools, they will be handed a new date with Doncaster further down the line in the season - unlike the Championship and the Premier League, their season continues during international breaks and will do so during the upcoming World Cup in Qatar meaning rescheduling won’t necessarily be an issue.

But for Marshall, a summer training camp focused entirely on her being at her optimal levels both physically and mentally were all circled around one date in the diary.

While the fight is set to be officially rescheduled for next month, you do wonder whether a more fitting tribute to Her Majesty, in that sense, may have been for the first ever all-female card in the UK to go ahead as planned in London.

As it is, not a ball was kicked, nor a punch thrown.

But either way, as we prepare to pay our final farewells to Queen Elizabeth II, we will remember this week for the rest of our lives for one reason or another.