ENJOY the sight of Britain’s IBF super-middleweight champion inside the ring while you can – as Savannah Marshall says she doesn’t intend to be around for much longer.
The opening instalment of her ‘farewell tour’ will be in New York on Friday night when she tackles America’s WBO champ Shadasia Green in a world super-middleweight unification confrontation.
It forms just a part of an incredible all-female card with Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano III the highlight of the show staged by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
The American fighter and promoter has assembled something of a who’s-who of women’s boxing, with Marshall’s fellow Brits Ellie Scotney and Chantelle Cameron on the bill, alongside the USA’s Alycia Baumgardner and Australia’s Cherneka Johnson, among others.
Marshall is boxing for the first time since July 2023, when she dethroned Franchon Crews-Dezurn in Manchester to become the undisputed world super-middleweight champion. Since triumph has come injury, a diversion into mixed martial arts, the surrender of three of her four belts to sanctioning body pressures, and a breakup with her promoters.
For two long and frustrating years – a violent MMA debut triumph aside – Hartlepool’s sporting superstar has been forced to live up to the ‘Silent’ part of her moniker. ‘The Assassin’ has been dormant.
Not anymore, after penning her four-fight deal with MVP, which gets underway at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
“I’m here to get my belts back and avenge my defeat to Claressa Shields – that’s if she’ll ever fight me,” says the 34-year-old, who admits to being a boxer in a hurry.
“In an ideal world, by this time next year I’d like to be out of boxing.
“I’m no spring chicken – I’ve been boxing since I walked into the Headland gym when I was 11 – 23 years a very long time.
“Being out for two years, you run the risk of becoming irrelevant, but I want to achieve some big wins.
“While I’ve not boxed in two years, I’ve stayed fit and strong. I’ve still been training.
“I’ve been stripped of three of my belts and I’m here to pick them back up, starting with the WBO title.”
It’s a bold new adventure for Marshall, whose association with Paul was announced on the same day as Cameron, following Scotney in signing for the 28-year-old influencer-turned-multimillionaire.
The powerful former world amateur champion appears energised and inspired by the liaison and aimed a swipe at leading UK promoters Eddie Hearn, Ben Shalom and Frank Warren for losing some of the best British talent across the Atlantic.
“Jake Paul is the only promoter showing any real interest in female boxing,” Savannah tells Boxing News.
“Since the Saudi money poured into the sport, there has been a fixation for big heavyweight title fights. Everything seems to have been about the heavyweights.
“To be fair, other weight divisions have probably been neglected too, but female boxing has suffered.
“How many women’s [world title] fights have you seen in Riyadh Season? Just one.
“Jake has seen what can be done with female boxing and he’s really gone for it.
“Just look how many world title fights are on this show, and it’s all on Netflix. It’s huge.
“I was proud to have been on that historic all-female O2 event on Sky against Claressa [in 2022], but this just blows everything out of the water. Six world championship fights on one night. It’s something special.”
Green is a formidable first hurdle for Marshall to clear – the 35-year-old became WBO champion last November in Arlington, where she gained a close split-decision nod over Canada’s Melinda Watpool in a vacant title bout.
The respective fight logs make for interesting reading, with Marshall at 13-1, 10 KOs, compared to 15-1, 11 KOs, for her New Jersey opponent, whose sole loss came at the hands of Crews-Dezurn on a unanimous decision in December 2023.
During Savannah’s hiatus, Shadasia has boxed four times, getting 38 rounds under her belt, though the activity argument could be countered with the fact that Marshall’s past six fights have all been world title contests, making her more accustomed to the big stage.
“Shadasia is a tough woman and a big puncher – not that I intend taking any from her,” she smiles.
“We were around together at the same time in the amateurs, and she won a world silver medal a couple of divisions above me [in 2016].
“She was a mandatory defence after I beat Franchon, but I needed a minor op, so it never happened.
“She’s only lost once, to Franchon. I suspect she might have underestimated her – a lot of people do.
“Franchon might not be that pleasing on the eye [stylistically], but she makes full use of the strengths she’s got, so I’m not looking too much into that fight. Shadasia is a proud champion and she hits hard.
“I’m under no illusions, it is a tough fight. I didn’t want a warm-up, I wanted to get straight back in. I’ve already been out for too long.”
Boxers typically don’t like to look beyond their immediate goal, but should Savannah be successful in the Big Apple, what next?
“Franchon has the WBC belt, so that’s a fight I’d like, but I want the rematch with Claressa,” she said. “It’s the obvious fight.
“We were supposed to fight last May, but she didn’t want it. I followed her to MMA, and it promised to be a huge occasion, but then she retired there.
“I hope it can still happen in the boxing ring – not that I’m holding my breath.”
But Green must be negotiated first.
Marshall refuted suggestions that she could struggle without Peter Fury. Her trusted trainer is precluded from entering America, due to a previous indiscretion.
Her pro debut in Las Vegas aside, when her Headland ABC coach and long-time mentor Tim Coulter was in her corner, Fury has been her constant guiding light in her ascent to the top.
Marshall will instead have Birmingham fight figure Jon Pegg, coach to Sam Eggington and close associate of Fury, tending to her in the Garden.
“It’s not a problem,” she says. “Jon has been in my corner for my last two fights and knows me and what we do inside-out.
“Everything has gone brilliant in camp with Peter and I’ve had some great sparring. I worked with Peter in the gym right up until flying to America.
“I feel really, really good, I’ve been in the gym since January because I thought I was boxing in March on the Royal Albert Hall show.”
The Mick Hennessy-managed boxer had expected to feature on that all-female showpiece headlined by Lauren Price against Natasha Jonas, but when it didn’t happen, it led to a shock split to what had seemed the perfect fight marriage.
When Boxxer CEO Shalom signed Marshall following the end of her Matchroom contract, he described her as a headliner. He proved as good as his word, twice making her top of the bill in Newcastle, where Lolita Muzeya and Femke Hermans were dispatched in WBO middleweight title defences.
Big unification nights on Sky followed, with the points loss to Shields in London preceding her triumph over Franchon-Crews.
“We parted ways, that’s all I really want to say,” says Marshall, in matter-of-fact fashion, of her split with Shalom.
“Now, to go across the pond with Ellie and Chantelle with MVP is very exciting. To box at Madison Square Garden is one to tick off the bucket list. I can’t wait.”
