Ringside Report’s Fight Report of Recent Results and Upcoming Bouts Around The World
By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart
As easy as 1, 2, 3 or A, B, C here we have what happened, what is about to happen and what is due to happen in the boxing world from the perspective of a fan with a laptop, in the heart of Scotland. Three fights, all being talked about and talked up and not all for obvious reasons.
Flash Back – Ringside Report’s Rear View Mirror – one fight from the week past from a Scottish angle (Look it up on a map…)
UK – biggest and most notable – what should be the biggest news in the UK boxing scene
Saturday 15th October
“There is only one fight we are all talking about, and it is self-styled GWOAT Claressa Shields taking on Savannah Marshall for all the belts at middleweight.”
Maybe, Claressa Shields is the GWOAT after all? At the 02 Arena, London she outboxed Savannah Marshall and ended the night being congratulated by a very classy Marshall. It promised to be a cracker and that is what it ended up being. For those of us fighting alongside Marshall – at every turn – we were frustrated by her being unable to land that one significant glove on Shields – but that was because Shields was so good.
Since the fight, the unkind, and frankly quite myopic, have suggested that Shields is leagues and levels above Marshall. She wasn’t. Marshall fought well but could not match the energy and the tactics of a fighter who came on strong at the start of each round, waned a little then had the last 10 seconds filled with eye catching shots. I gave Marshall a few rounds but there was no way she was going to walk away with the win.
Given what happened the weekend before – Benn/Eubank Jr cancellation/Benn drugs failure – boxing needed that shot in the arm and both fighters delivered. A headline fight where the headlines are about the sport – how good does that feel…
My view
Gutted does not cover how I feel about Marshall losing and goodness knows at what scale Marshall must be feeling by comparison, but she came away with her pride and she congratulated Shields throughout the post-fight shenanigans. What next for Marshall is a bit of a conundrum. Shields holds all the belts so going to the US to fight her again is an option, but the younger Shields could hold out on her. Shields, quite rightly, is very much in the driving seat. I cannot find anyone who does not want to see this again so is this the beginning of a trilogy?
By comparison, it is difficult to know what Shields does next as she has conquered three weight divisions of all the belts. There cannot be much left for her to achieve and moving up in weight may be tempting but Marshall should serve as a warning. Shields dealt with her power but there is a natural level at which you can be caught by bigger punchers – ask Canelo…
There will be mandatories for Shields to fulfil but the one advantage we are seeing from the growth of women’s boxing is that the fights we want to see are being made. Long may the time be put off for any politics to sully that.
Fast Forward – the week to come as viewed from one side of the Atlantic
UK – biggest and most notable – what should be the biggest news in the UK boxing scene
Saturday 29th October
At the Wembley Arena, London, the other grande dame of boxing, Katie Taylor defends all of her belts at lightweight against Karen Elizabeth Carabajal.
The GWOAT title has been much debated backwards and forwards as the Shields bandwagon leaves the UK for the Irish pretender to the throne, Katie Taylor to waltz into town. Argentinian Carabajal is undefeated, but nobody is considering this to be a serious threat to Taylor’s crowns. That opinion is backed by the fact that Carabajal has never fought outside Argentina and has never fought at this weight either so quite how she got the title opportunity is down to the lack of serious contenders at lightweight for Taylor that she has not already fought.
Six months ago, this double Olympic, five times world, and unified champion headlined Madison Square Gardens and beat – only just – Amanda Serrano. We all want the rematch and that may be next year but for now we have to do with a decent fight against a decent boxer but one who’s limitations are likely to be exposed. Many believe she shall struggle to stay the distance and that Taylor shall get an unfamiliar stoppage – she has not stopped anyone since 2019.
It is perhaps the future that beckons more as the Bray native will want to get a homecoming fight in Ireland penciled in for 2023, perhaps at Croke Park in Dublin in the open air. For now, though all thoughts of the future are on hold as she tries to beat the fearsome Argentinian.
My view
The cliché of there being a lack of depth in women’s boxing is a cliché because it is true. That means that sometimes there shall be mismatches by necessity rather than by choice as has been suggested in the men’s game. I also cannot see this going the 10 rounds as 10 with Taylor is an eternity if you are not on her level.
Next up, the rematch is the only real fight we want to see as other noted and suggested fights against MMA stars does not appeal. As the purity of women’s boxing is premium, sullying it by mixing with non-boxers would spoil things more than a little.
Future History – and the week to follow…
UK – biggest and most notable – what should be the biggest news in the UK boxing scene
Saturday 5th November
In United Arab Emirates, yet another huge night for boxing sees the Ring Magazine, WBC, IBF and vacant WBA and WBO super lightweight title fight between Chantelle Cameron and Jessica McCaskill.
Click Here to Order Boxing Interviews Of A Lifetime By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt