Earlier this month in Manchester, Claressa Shields was ringside to watch Savannah Marshall decision Franchon Crews-Dezurn to become the undisputed world champion at super middleweight.
It was Marshall’s first bout since losing a decision to Shields in their undisputed middleweight clash from October of last year.
After the fight, Marshall called for a rematch with Shields.
Shields believes Marshall was being disrespectful in her direction during most of the fight week for the clash with Crews-Dezurn.
“I made that Savannah is still delusional, still disrespectful and didn’t learn from getting her ass kicked by me,” Shields said to Sky Sports.
“Here she is getting an opportunity to fight here in the UK for undisputed championship and yet again she was disrespecting another undisputed champion thinking it’s all about her.”
Shields would only consider the scenario of a rematch if it takes place in the United States.
“Why not fight somebody who you’ve already beaten?” Shields said. “Come to America, that’s all I ask. She is not respectful enough, she is not honest enough for me to give her a chance here to fight for my belts again in the UK, for me to fight her period in the UK.
“She went on Sky Sports and said ‘Claressa can’t sell tickets in America’, that I’m hard to work with, that nobody wants to work with me and that’s why I’m not a big name in America – all lies. And she thinks that I want to give her another opportunity to fight against me to make millions of dollars when she’s that disrespectful. Come to the US.”
Marshall is willing to come to the United States for a rematch, but she explains that their rematch is worth more money on UK soil.
“I’m 32, there’s nobody else about in the division,” Marshall said. “There are definitely things I’d change from the first fight, it was the best Claressa ever. She wanted me to go to America. I agreed. I said I’d go to America but I want paying. It doesn’t generate the same money as it does here. I think she’s starting to realise that.
“I think we will eventually get there. She needs me just as much as I need her. She’s never going to make as much money fighting anyone else than what she would fighting me. I’ve learned that that’s what boxing’s about. People love confrontation. People love watching people who actually hate each other fight.”