Claressa Shields-Savannah Marshall Card To Be Postponed?

With the death of Queen Elizabeth II Thursday afternoon in Scotland, the U.K. and by extension it’s sports are in a time of delay and uncertainty. And, this includes the Saturday Boxxer fight card scheduled for the O2 Arena in London which features the women’s undisputed middleweight title fight between unified champ Claressa Shields and WBO titleholder Savannah Marshall.

After acknowledging the Queen’s passing at 96 years old Thursday night, Boxxer released a statement. In it they say that their promotion along with the British Boxing Board of Control, as well as the 02 Arena, etc. are all in constant communication and consultation about whether the fight card/PPV will proceed or potential face delay or postponement?

Rest in Peace, Your Majesty.

We are deeply saddened by the news of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

Our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal Family at this incredibly sad time. pic.twitter.com/SWEvePhFpx

— BOXXER (@boxxer) September 8, 2022

From the statement,

“News of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was received with great sadness by the athletes and staff of BOXXER today.

Out of the deepest respect, Friday’s scheduled official weigh-ins for BOXXER – LEGACY: Shields vs Marshall, will now take place behind closed doors and will not be open to the media or to members of the public.

An announcement regarding the status of Saturday’s event, at The O2 in London, will be made following consultation with relevant government and sports sector bodies and will be made at the earliest possible opportunity.

This announcement will be made via Boxxer.com and the official BOXXER social media channels.

The deepest sympathies of every BOXXER athlete and staff member are with the Royal Family and everyone affected by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Ben Shalom, BOXXER CEO and Founder, reflected on today’s news: “My thoughts are with the Royal Family and the nation at this incredibly sad time.

“Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II was an iconic and unrivalled leader for our nation and an inspiration for women all over the world.

“Her leadership and her strength of character showed that there were no limits to what women can accomplish. Her passion for the equestrian sports was unrivalled and her presence at so many key sporting events underlined the importance she placed on the role of sport in society.

“On behalf of everyone at BOXXER and all our fighters, we express our heartfelt gratitude and thanks for everything Her Majesty has done to pave the way for women and inspire the next generation.”

An inspiration to millions of people in the United Kingdom and around the world, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She set an example of duty and dedication which will echo through the ages.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II was a keen equestrian with a passion for horse-riding sports of all varieties.

And throughout her momentous 70 years of service, she played a central role in major events across the entire sports pantheon – particularly for women in sport, where she celebrated and inspired generations of grassroots and elite female athletes across the globe.”

So, for now, they will proceed with the Friday mid-day weigh in for all the bouts on the Boxxer card, which also includes a co-feature of the women’s junior lightweight unification showdown between Americans Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner.

Shields and Marshall has been a highly anticipated ladies battle for the past year or more.

Shileds, 12-0, 2 KOs, made the third defense of her Unified Middleweight titles in February, when she defeated Ema Kozin by 10 round decision. Her bout was be the co-main event from Cardiff in Wales, on the undercard of star U.K. middleweights Chris Eubank Jr. and Liam Williams meeting. Shields is also a two time Olympic Gold Medalist.

Marshall is also 12-0, but with 10 KOs, including a thunderous knockout of Femke Hermans in the third round in Newcastle in April. And bigger for this bout, she handed Shields her only defeat as an amateur in a world championship competition. The two never met in the two Olympic winning tournaments by Shields.

There is also the possibility that the Shields-Marshall Boxxer card could be delayed through the weekend or completely rescheduled for another time.

Currently, it’s not known what sports, including the massively popular English Premier League Soccer will do about playing games or not this weekend? And, if they don’t play, it’s almost certain that there will be no title fight card in London for Saturday night.

All of that we will have to wait for. For now, Great Britian is in a state of mourning for the death of Queen Elizabeth and decisions about sports going on or not will be made soon enough.