Savannah Marshall did her part.
The unbeaten middleweight titleholder from England stopped Femke Hermans in the third round of their scheduled 10-round bout Saturday in Newcastle.
The victory sets up a title-unification showdown with rival Claressa Shields, who was watching from ringside.
Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs) and Hermans (12-4, 5 KOs) fought on fairly even terms for two-plus rounds, as Hermans didn’t shy away from exchanging punches with the champion.
The end result was a left hook from Marshall that knocked Hermans onto her back and out with one second remaining in Round 3.
Now begins the talks to make a much-anticipated fight with Shields, who Marshall outpointed as an amateur. They are expected to fight three or four months from now.
“There’s no-one else in the way between me and Claressa, so it’s me and her in the summer now,” Marshall told Sky Sports. “I know Claressa can’t handle my power. I believe I can beat her.
“It’s got to happen here in the North-East [of England].”
Shields told Sky Sports that she expected Marshall to beat Hermans. She added that Marshall won’t enjoy a similar result against her.
“That’s what you’re supposed to do,” she said of Marshall’s victory. “I said she’d do that to Femke Hermans. But I’m not Femke Hermans, I’m not Hannah Rankin, I’m not any of those girls she’s fought.
“If that’s what I’ve got to look forward to, it’s going to be a wipeout.”
Let the hype begin in earnest.
