Claressa Shields feeling 'stronger and more energised' ahead of Savannah Marshall fight
- Simon Wilkes
- 11 October 2022
Claressa Shields feels she has already beaten Savannah Marshall ‘mentally’ ahead of their fight at The O2 on Saturday.
The bitter rivals were originally scheduled to go toe-to-toe on September 10 - but the fight was postponed on the eve of the weigh-in due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Shields feels the delay has played into her hands and given her recovery time, telling Sky Sports: "I had spent 11 weeks in camp, and I was going to go out there and do it, she was about to get worked over.
"But I had beat my body up so much, then when it was fight week, you have to cut weight and also, I was doing a whole lot of recovery.
"Last camp, maybe I was running 8:30 mile, now I am running 7.30, 7-minute miles. I am lower in weight, in far as in what I'm going to cut from.
"I feel stronger and more energised, and I weigh less than I was going to last time.
"Since the postponement, she has been really quiet. She can say her energy and everything is still the same, but I know the fight week was draining for her.
"You see a superstar come in, you're leaving your belt at the hotel, you're getting nervous and stuff, it can be stressful, she had a stressful week for sure, she's going to have another stressful week. I already beat her mentally."
Shields, a two-time undisputed world champion, will defend her WBC, IBF and WBA middleweight titles against British WBO titleholder Marshall, who has stopped 10 of her 12 opponents and is regarder as a fearsome puncher.
But the American feels she will be too strong for 31-year-old Marshall, adding: "I knew I was going to beat Savannah Marshall on September 10, but now I really feel in my spirit that I am going to knock Savannah Marshall out, this is going to be my statement fight.
"She talked all that stuff about pillow fists, but she's not going to stand there and fight me. She's not going to be able to handle my shots. She can't outbox me. She's not very skilled.
"You all said she's a knockout puncher, you all said she is going to knock me out, you all said that I cant keep her off me, she is too strong, too big.
"You all said that, not me, so when I beat her easily and I be in there dropping her and have her face purple and blue after I don't wanna hear nothing. Just tell me congrats and leave me alone."
