“I will be cheering for her” - Claressa Shields calls Savannah Marshall "classless" but wants her to win

Claressa Shields wants Savannah Marshall to retain the WBO Middleweight Championship against Femke Hermans on April 2 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England. This comes as a shock considering the middleweight champions have bad blood between them.

Shields and Marshall have taken shots at each other on several occasions. The latest one happened after Claressa Shields outclassed Ema Kozin in February via unanimous decision in Cardiff. Savannah Marshall was present ringside for the event and after the fight, both women got into a heated verbal altercation.

Marshall was not impressed by the American's performance and told Shields:

"I'll absolutely wipe the floor with you."

Watch Marshall and Shields go after each other below:

That said, Shields recently joined Sky Sports and expressed her desire to take on Marshall next in what will undoubtedly be an epic undisputed title fight. ‘T-Rex’ said:

“I am not gonna get in the ring and talk smack to Savannah Marshall like she did me. That’s classless. I don’t do that to world champions and I have never done that. So, I don’t think I am gonna do that on Saturday. But I will be cheering for her to win because I really want to fight her next.”

Claressa Shields, a multi-sport athlete, holds the WBC, WBA, and IBF Titles alongside an active record of 12-0. No wonder she lost her calm after Marshall predicted that she'd beat her easily in the ring.

The 'Silent Assassin', too, has enough reasons to be optimistic. By bagging a potential win over Hermans, she will take her record to an unblemished 12-0, which will clear the road for a superfight against Shields.

---

Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall will bring all four belts under one name

Both undefeated champions share a similar orthodox stance. While Shields has outpointed several opponents in her career, the Englishwoman has ended most of her fights via stoppage. The American has only two KO wins as a professional, while WBO Middleweight Champion Savannah Marshall has nine to her name.

Watch the highlights video of Shields' greatest fights below:

If Marshall vs. Shields happens in 2022 then it will be a wonderful year for women's boxing. Another highly anticipated showdown will take place at the end of the month when Katie Taylor takes on Amanda Serrano for the Undisputed Lightweight Title.