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Savannah Marshall comes through Muzeya’s early fire as Claressa Shields superfight draws nearer

Savannah Marshall. Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Fighters Network
16
Oct

Lolita Muzeya came out all guns blazing against Savannah Marshall but “The Silent Assasin” from Hartlepool retained her middleweight title with an electric second round knockout victory in the Newcastle Arena.

In doing so, she kept hopes of a huge fight against American star Claressa Shields alive in 2022. Both are likely to box on the same bill in Birmingham on December 11 before they fight one another next year.

Marshall made Muzeya pay for her early attacks and the Zambian slowed dramatically in round two before she was trapped on the ropes and stopped as she lost for the first time against 16 wins.

Marshall improves to 11-0 and looked sensational.



Muzeya was fearless and reckless in equal measure through the opening session and while she was aggressive, she didn’t have Marshall’s quality to her work.

Savannah was strong, accurate and vicious in the second. The African used up almost all of what she had left but with around 20 seconds remaining in the second and decisive session Muzeya unravelled. Marshall landed a right hand, a right to the body and a right uppercut and then wasted very little as she piled in behind both hands, firing away with lefts and rights and forcing the intervention of referee Mark Alexander with Muzeya defenseless on the ropes.

“I knew she’d come like that and [trainer] Peter [Fury] said just weather the storm, she’ll go after a couple of rounds,” said Marshall. “He said just catch her shots and pick your own and then she started going on the back foot but fair play, she stuck it on me.”

Fury was delighted. “I’m over the moon with what Lolita brought to the table,” he explained. “I said let her flail away, she can’t keep that going, just respond in your own time and she got her out of there.”

 

 

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