Ibrahim Oladamola
Claressa Shields believes Savannah Marshall has not yet regained her confidence after their fight and it is too soon for her to fight Franchon Crews-Dezurn.
Marshall lost a unanimous decision after her thrilling clash with US star Shields last October.
The Briton has now set her next fight. She will step up to super-middleweight to challenge Crews-Dezurn for the undisputed 168lb title on June 17, Shields’ rivalry with Marshall is undimmed, even after their fight.
“I can see from the beating I gave Savannah Marshall, she’s not as confident as she used to be. I think that this fight is too soon for her,” Shields told Terryanews.
“She hasn’t recovered [her confidence] yet from her last fight.”
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“I didn’t see her say that she’s going to knock Franchon out. I just seen ‘Oh, I believe I can beat Franchon.’ It’s like you believe or are you going to do it? She was saying she’s going to knock me out in two rounds or she’s going to knock me out,” Shields reflected.
“I think her confidence right now is not there and that’s dangerous to not have confidence and to be getting in the ring with someone like Franchon, who believes in herself 1000 percent.
“I’m going to be cheering for Franchon to beat Savannah Marshall. I think that Franchon will come out victorious.”
Marshall is looking for a rematch with Shields. If she beat Crews-Dezurn and became undisputed super-middleweight champion, she would be in a great position to push for that fight.
“Is that the gameplan?” Shields scoffed. “I would say this. If that’s what her gameplan is and I’m motivation for her to have this fight and she thinks she’ll become undisputed and then it’ll be undisputed vs undisputed, tell her all that is fine.
“But we’re going to fight in America and I’m going to beat her again, even worse. That’s my message to her.
“Tell her keep on thinking about me, I’ll keep on being her motivation like I’ve been all these years. But I did what I was supposed to do.
“She didn’t knock me down. She didn’t knock me out,” Shields continued. “She got dominated, she lost the first five rounds and I would love to do it again. I’m not turning down any smoke with Savannah Marshall.
“If she loses this fight to Franchon, which I think she will, she can still come get the smoke and try and fight me again for my undisputed [middleweight] championship. And I’ll whoop her again. So I’m not turning down any smoke with Savannah Marshall.
“And Savannah needs to focus on what’s in front of her because me and Franchon are two completely different fighters.”
Shields finished with a warning: “The moment she gets back in the ring with me again, I’ve already taken off to a whole other level, and I’m going to beat her up. Pretty bad.”
