Claressa Shields has a surprising name in mind for her next heavyweight title defense.
After defeating Danielle Perkins in another dominant performance earlier this month, Claressa Shields is already eyeing what could be next in her boxing career. Surprisingly, a familiar foe is at the top of her list for her next defense of her heavyweight belts.
Shields remains undefeated in her boxing career after the win over Perkins earlier this month. Along with her MMA aspirations, Shields wants to cement herself as the pound-for-pound No. 1 female boxer in the world, and she’s currently in the discussion with the likes of Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
After defeating Perkins, several high-profile names are in the mix to face Shields for her next heavyweight title defense. MMA legend Cris Cyborg entered the conversation when Shields called for Turki Alalshikh to make the fight happen.
But according to Shields’ promoter, she’s focused on revisiting one of her most heated rivalries for her heavyweight comeback.
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Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall at heavyweight?
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Shields’ promoter Dmitry Sailta said a Shields vs. Savannah Marshall rematch, two weight classes above their previous fight, is on their radar.
“We’ve had general discussions over the past several months and have expressed our interest in making the rematch happen,” Sailta revealed. “I believe she will stop Savannah with the power she possesses at heavyweight.” (h/t Bad Left Hook)
Shields defeated Marshall in an instant classic in Oct. 2022 by unanimous decision to retain her middleweight titles. It remains the only loss of Marshall’s boxing career after she bounced back with a 2023 win over Franchon Crews-Dezurn by majority decision.
Amidst Shields and Marshall’s MMA runs, a rematch in the cage was presented almost immediately after Marshall’s debut win at PFL Europe 2 last June. But as of this writing, the fight hasn’t come to fruition, as Shields focuses on retaining her boxing world titles.
Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall eying MMA returns amidst boxing rivalry
While it’s uncertain how much longer the Olympic gold medalist boxer Shields wants to continue competing, she’s eyeing big names for her remaining fights. A clash with Marshall could make a lot of sense if a rematch in MMA doesn’t get signed.
Marshall hasn’t competed since her win over Crews-Dezurn as she’s focused on developing her MMA skillset for a potential championship run. A heavyweight clash would eliminate the extended time Marshall would need to cut back down to middleweight.
Regardless, Shields’ welcoming of facing Marshall for her next heavyweight title defense means she’s serious about bringing more eyes to the women’s heavyweight division. We could learn more in the coming weeks about Shields and Marshall’s returns to the ring.