"I'm not out to impress her" - Savannah Marshall says she is not focused on Claressa Shields

Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields have butted heads once again. Marshall is set to defend her WBO Middleweight Title against Femke Hermans on April 2 in Newcastle, England.

It is widely suggested that Marshall already has her sights set on a fight with the undisputed Light Middleweight Champion. Yet, in a press conference, Marshall stated that she is not focusing on Shields ahead of her bout with the Belgian boxer.

When asked about Shields, Marshall said:

"She knows what I can do and I'm not out to impress her. The boxing speaks for itself. Everyone keeps saying how can you focus on Femke when everyone's talking about Claressa, but the thing is everyone's been talking about Claressa for the past four or five years. She's always been creeping about in the background for me."

Marshall told reporters that she currently has tunnel-vision and will only focus on making a big fight with Shields happen after she beats Hermans on Saturday.

In response to Marshall's statement, Shields turned to Twitter to call the British boxer a narcissist.

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Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields have history

Savannah Marshall has been called the hardest pound-for-pound puncher in women's boxing. Her record currently stands at 11-0 with nine knockouts. Shields has a record of 12-0 with two knockouts. The only time Shields lost in her amateur career was to the British fighter in 2012.

Claressa Shields is one of the highest profile figures in women's boxing. On February 5 this year, she defeated Ema Kozin in Cardiff, England. It was the American's first fight in the United Kingdom. Savannah Marshall was in attendance.

During the fight, Marshall pretended to fall asleep and feigned a yawn, mocking the performance of the self-proclaimed 'greatest of all time'. After the fight, Marshall and Shields got into an argument at ringside. According to Sky Sports Boxing, Marshall said:

"If you perform like that against me, I'll absolutely wipe the floor with you."

Since Shields defeated Savannah Marshall's upcoming opponent, Femke Hermans, in 2018, there has been a lot of speculation that Marshall is using the fight to prepare for the American champion.

However, Marshall has repeatedly stated that Hermans is a talented and experienced boxer and cannot be overlooked.