Savannah Marshall vs. Femke Hermans: Preview and Prediction

Savannah Marshall and Femke Hermans will fight for Marshall's WBO Middleweight Title this weekend.

Marshall has held the WBO Title since claiming the vacant belt by defeating Hannah Rankin on October 31, 2020. Marshall stopped Rankin in the seventh round. In April 2021, she successfully defended the title against Maria Lindberg by knocking her out in the third round. Six months later, she stopped Lolita Muzeya in the second, marking her seventh consecutive knockout victory. She has a record of 11-0-0.

Hermans is coming off a third-round knockout victory over Lili Jumali in 2021. Her record stands at 12-3-0. She will be facing off against an opponent who has been called the biggest pound-for-pound puncher in women's boxing.

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Savannah Marshall vs. Femke Hermans: Preview

Savannah Marshall and Femke Hermans will fight on April 2nd at the Newcastle Arena in Newcastle, England.

Hermans' most highly publicized fight was probably her 2018 bout in Carson, California against Claressa Shields. Though Hermans demonstrated solid footwork and slick head movement, she was outboxed and overpowered by 'T-Rex' and lost the fight on the scorecards via a unanimous decision.

Check out Hermans vs. Shields here:

Marshall is most well known for her punching power. In eleven fights, she has racked up nine knockouts. However, as her most recent bout against Maria Lindberg demonstrates, her skillset is not reducible to power alone. Marshall has good timing and placement on her shots, allowing her to effectively counter aggression.

Check out Marshall vs. Lindberg here:

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Savannah Marshall vs. Femke Hermans: Prediction

Hermans is challenging the undefeated reigning champion in her home country. In order to win the fight and take home the belt, she will need to win decisively. However, Marshall is by far the most capable opponent she has faced since Shields.

In her fight against Shields, Hermans was kept on the backfoot. She was caught with a number of jabs through an open guard and was also susceptible to hooks to the body with both hands. In her most recent fight, she walked Jumali down with a high guard.

With a height advantage of over three inches, Marshall is likely going to be able to control the range of the fight with precise counter punching. Hermans is going to need to get inside Marshall's range with a tight guard in order to land punches and avoid taking heavy blows.

If she is able to maintain distance and place her shots between Hermans' guard, Marshall is likely to control the fight and win via knockout.

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Outcome:

If Marshall secures a victory over Hermans on April 2nd, it is likely that she will pursue a fight against Claressa Shields later this year.

Prediction: Marshall via knockout.