Savannah Marshall is the new undisputed super middleweight champion of the world and potentially on collision course once again with arch-rival Claressa Shields following a victory over Franchon Crews-Dezurn in Manchester, England tonight.
The frenetic fight went ten rounds at a fast pace and was hard-fought throughout, with both boxers wearing the marks of battle afterwards.
While Marshall seemed to be the winner by most at ringside when the final bell rang, there was a 95-95 scorecard from one judge – which turned the result into a majority decision rather than the unanimous decision onlookers had expected.
“She (Crews-Dezurn) is a tough, tough woman. I thought she came on stronger, some of the rounds were close but I felt landed the better shots,” said Marshall.
Shields was ringside for the fight and had some choice comments for Marshall afterwards as she seemed to agree to another showdown in the future.
“I will fight her at whatever weight she wants to fight at,” Shields said. “She is going to get beat up… that’s what is going to happen.
“[I saw] a lot of weaknesses and she didn’t learn from her last fight. I agreed with the first judge who had it 95-95. The fight was close – I expected a better performance from both girls.”
Crews-Dezurn tried to keep the fight at close range to negate Marshall’s reach and power, which made for a frequently scrappy encounter. Marshall’s power shots took their toll when they did land, which only encouraged Crews-Dezurn to maintain her short-range approach.
For Marshall, it was her first bout since losing her perfect record, and her middleweight title, in last fall’s undisputed fight with Shields.
For the moment, Marshall will likely have to deal with mandatory challenger Shadasia Green, who was is next in line for a world title shot.