A rematch years in the making will no longer be taking place on September 10 inside the O2 Arena.
Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall for the undisputed middleweight titles on an all-women’s boxing card has been postponed. That is a result of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the U.K.’s longest-serving monarch. The co-main event was meant to be Mikaela Mayer vs. Alycia Baumgardner for junior-lightweight gold.
The Queen, who had served as the head of the British royal family for over 70 years since ascending the throne in 1952, died on Thursday, September 8. Following her death, postponements of major sporting events started to take place. The Shields-Marshall fight card was one of those events.
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When will Claressa Shields fight Savannah Marshall?
On September 9, BOXXER promotions released a statement that it is tentatively looking at October 15 as the new date. The British Boxing Board of Control opted out of the September 10 date “as a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
The inaction of Operation London Bridge (known through the code phrase ‘London Bridge Is Down’) was enforced: a pre-determined plan for the procedures immediately after the Queen’s passing. A period of national mourning is expected to be announced: a funeral and ceremony honoring Queen Elizabeth II.
As this is a developing story, The Sporting News will continue to monitor and update as new information becomes readily available regarding dates and venues. As of now, the card will remain in London at the O2 Arena.
Recent boxing fights postponed due to the passing of political figures
This will not be the first boxing event this year postponed due to a significant death.
Floyd Mayweather was supposed to face Don Moore on the Burj Al Arab Hotel helipad in Dubai on May 14. That fight was postponed following the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Mayweather ended up fighting Moore inside the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on May 21.
Shields vs. Marshall timeline
At the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, Shields lost to Marshall, the only loss of her amateur and pro boxing career. Shields would later earn an Olympic berth and end up winning Olympic gold in the 2012 Olympics.
While the two have gone separate ways since then, things have started to heat up. Shields took over the middleweight division while Marshall was fighting her way to the top. Marshall then won the WBO title vacated by Shields in 2020. Never one to mince words, Shields would end up stirring the pot that would later plant the seeds for a clash against Marshall.
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“I’ve seen Savannah in person a couple of times and there’s always been mutual respect but then she started being disrespectful last year,” Shield told BBC. “She’s just a hater. She can’t accomplish anything I have; in the pros or amateurs. I have 12 world titles and she has one and she’s still yelling and barking my name. She’s celebrating a win when I was 17. Get over it and move on. Show some respect.”
When Shields beat Ema Kozin not long ago, Marshall was the first to greet her ringside. The two engaged in a war of words, with Marshall calling the bout embarrassing.
Things escalated during a press conference that launched the fight. Insults will eventually be traded for boxing gloves.