The 10-year rivalry shaping modern boxing

On Saturday 15 October, Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall went toe-to-toe in an absolute epic of a fight, with the former emerging victorious by unanimous decision after 10 intense rounds of boxing.

With the clash being touted as a Fight of the Year contender in some quarters, the pair are already in talks about the possibility of a rematch in Summer 2023 as they continue to wave the banner for women’s boxing.

Shields was handed her first and only taste of defeat by Marshall way back in 2012, when the two were just amateur fighters, and both of them, as well as their rivalry, have only grown since.

A pivotal moment not just for women’s boxing but the sport as a whole

– Jonathan Licht

The three-time undisputed champion now ranks alongside Katie Taylor in terms of the conversation for number one in the world, and it’s easy to see why – her ability and power is frankly frightening.

Marshall, who was “devastated” after the loss, is convinced she could overcome her old rival should they step into the ring again, though, and intends to do just that in nine months’ time.

The rematch is also likely to have 12 rounds of fighting, as opposed to the typical 10 in women’s bouts, once again cementing this fight’s status as ground-breaking.

For years, female boxing has been on the up, with figures such as Shields, Marshall, Taylor, and Amanda Serrano heading the charge – it is high time that the world sat up and took notice, and with this fight attracting over two million viewers, it seems that time has come.

Millions more watched the build-up and action across the YouTube and TikTok streams, and 35% of the tickets sold for what was a sell-out event were purchased by women, a turnout far greater than usual, indicating that the sport’s reach is growing and gaining increased female participation.

Sky Sports’ managing director Jonathan Licht claimed that the night was: “A pivotal moment not just for women’s boxing but the sport as a whole. To know that such a large audience tuned in at home to see these fights – in addition to a sell-out crowd at The O2 – shows the interest and potential for the sport.”

Sky Sports in particular has seen a surge in women’s sport viewers over the last year, including attracting record figures for the FA Women’s Super League following the completion of their broadcasting deal that began last season.

Boxxer, who promoted the event alongside Sky Sports, have also spoken of their pride at the event’s success, and look forward to further progress, with CEO Ben Shalom saying: “It was a historic event. We staged something many thought wasn’t possible, and it will go down in the history books.

There are sure to be even more blockbuster events in the near future

“We hope it has set the stage for what is to come. Thank you to Sky for their unwavering support for women’s sport and boxing. From a standing start, in just 12 months our partnership has achieved so much already, and Saturday night culminated in a record-breaking event.

“We want Boxxer to be a force for good within boxing and have a positive impact on redefining the sport for its long-term health… for women’s sport this was truly iconic, and we want to thank everyone involved and, of course the fighters. We can now look forward to an extremely bright future and carry such positive momentum into the rest of the year.”

It was an enormous night for everyone involved, and women’s boxing is certainly an exciting place to be right now – with things continuing on such an upwards trajectory, we can look forward to even more blockbuster events in the near future!