Undisputed boxing champion Savannah Marshall reveals the PFL crossover super-fight that drew her to MMA (2024)

Savannah Marshall is chasing one of the biggest rematches in all of women’s sport, and she’s willing to step in the cage to get it.

The undisputed super-middleweight champion has achieved it all in boxing, but lost her most famous fight in 2022 against pound-for-pound great Claressa Shields. After a lengthy build-up that harkened back to their amateur days, the pair made history and broke records in their London O2 Arena headliner.

But with talks stalled over a potential ring rematch and Shields making waves during a crossover to MMA, she has felt isolated at the top of her weight division. As a result, she has signed up with the sport’s fastest growing promotion and is chasing the rematch in their ‘Smart Cage’.

Savannah Marshall chasing Claressa Shields rematch in PFL after boxing bout broke records

More than two million UK viewers tuned into Sky Sports to watch the highly-anticipated boxing fight between the pair in October of 2022. Shields won by unanimous decision in order to maintain her unbeaten career start, and has since returned to the cage under the PFL banner.

And speaking with Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat, Marshall explained that she has made the transition in order to pursue the monumental rematch. Her journey begins against Mirela Vargas in the main event at Newcastle’s Utilitia Arena on Friday night.

“For me, I was devastated I never got the rematch in the ring,” she admitted. “Especially seeing the likes of Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano or Chantelle Cameron, I am just devastated that it never happened straight away.

“This was probably a push for why I’ve jumped to MMA because I’ve got a chance to get that redemption back, that win. With our division, it’s not like the lighter weights where there’s three, four, five elites in that pack it’s literally me and Claressa.

“I know she’d never admit it but she knows that we’re good for each other in terms of rivalry… I’m just devastated that the rematch didn’t happen straight away, it was still so raw in everyone’s mind it should have happened straight away.

“But it didn’t happen due to boxing politics which is always the case. At the minute it’s sounding more than likely that it will happen in the cage over the ring. But we have to get through June 8 first, I could get punched in the head and think ‘oh this isn’t for me’.”

Savannah Marshall fancies her chances in MMA rematch against Claressa Shields

The pair have fought multiple times in the ring, with Claressa Shields‘ last defeat in the sport coming during an amateur bout. Their professional meeting went the distance and was a close affair, with the American taking home the belts.

But now, both without too much experience across the other martial arts and disciplines, they add a new dimension as they put on 4oz gloves and step into the cage. “She hasn’t been wrestling all through school and she hasn’t got a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which evens it out,” Marshall added.

If the PFL came to me and said ‘would you like to join our league?’ I would have said no way, I’m 32-years-old and I’ve been boxing a long time, taking a lot of punishment.

“I don’t really want to go to another sport and try to be the top of something. But they’ve come to me and said ‘would you be interested in a potential fight with her and I’m like ‘God yeah, she’s not a million miles in front of me, she’s had three or four fights and it’s not like she’s lighting it up.

“She can’t mix it with the best of them in the league, it’s just a great fight. A couple of MMA fighters have said that you get a lot of them switching to boxing but you rarely see boxers come to MMA. I can see why because Jesus, it’s tough!”

Savannah Marshall expects Claressa Shields to be ringside for her PFL MMA debut in Newcastle

Marshall has travelled to New York and Saudi Arabia for promotional appearances alongside her rival in the last year. And she expects Shields to return the favour by coming to Newcastle this weekend for her cage debut.

The pair have even developed a grudging dynamic that borders on an ‘odd couple’ friendship. “I think sometimes I don’t think she knows how to act around me because British humour is a lot different to American humour,” the Brit noted.

“And I think she’s a bit frosty. But there’s been a couple of times now that we’ve been in each other’s company. I think that she’s starting to understand that I’m not as dry as what maybe my humour is.

“She’s had three or four in this MMA now, this is my first one. I was with her in Saudi and I was asking if she was going to come to my fight. She said ‘oh I don’t know, I don’t know’ and I’ve told her she has to come.

“I’ve gone and sat ringside and ripped you for not being able to get up off your back. So she has to come to Newcastle because hopefully I’m not in the same predicament but it’s going to come. She said she was, so we’ll have to see if she’s a woman of her word.”

And Marshall admits that she often finds herself giggling as Shields engages in a number of outlandish social media feuds with boxing’s biggest names. “I just couldn’t be bothered,” Marshall said of her own output online, before praising her greatest rival.

“The one thing I’ve found out about her is she’s actually really funny without knowing it. Sometimes I see her tweets and her posts and I’d be laughing because she’s actually being really serious. Look, she gets people talking about her and that’s what she’s after.”

Savannah Marshall faces Mirela Vargas at PFL Europe: Newcastle on June 8. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster

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