They had planned to fight last year, then a date was arranged and bumped back slightly in 2022. But finally confirmed and going ahead on Saturday April 2, Savannah Marshall will defend her WBO middleweight world title against Femke Hermans in Newcastle. Should the British boxer take victory, she will be one step closer to the dream of an undisputed fight with Claressa Shields.

Back in February this year, when Claressa Shields earned an undisputed victory against Ema Kozin, the Slovenian opponent who was ultimately beaten by unanimous decision in Cardiff, inevitably watching intently at ringside was Marshall. Indeed, it’s fair to say that she was less than impressed, given that  Marshall vows to beat Claressa Shields and become undisputed champion. The two even shared a heated exchange at ringside.

Savannah Marshall versus Femke Hermans

Before any ambitions of becoming undisputed middleweight champion can be achieved, Savannah Marshall must first take on the challenge of Femke Hermans, and the 32-year-old from Belgium will be no pushover. Hermans is a tough cookie who has fought the best in the business, including a fight against Claressa Shields that went the distance.

Hermans debuted on the professional boxing scene in January 2016, going unbeaten for her first six fights before losing to Alicia Napoleon in March 2018, with the vacant WBA female super-middleweight belt up for grabs. Wasting little time after that defeat, she fought and beat Nikki Adler in May 2018, taking the vacant WBO female super-middleweight title.

Having dropped down a division to middleweight, Hermans has won all of her last three fights, including two via knockout, which means that Marshall won’t be taking anything for granted. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old Briton from Hartlepool will have done plenty of preparation for this next bout, keen to maintain an unblemished professional record. Since turning professional in August 2017, Marshall has won all of her fights.

Marshall now boasts an exemplary record of 11 wins, with 9 of those victories coming via knockout. Since beating fellow British boxer Hannah Rankin in October 2020, claiming the vacant WBO female middleweight title, Marshall has convincingly defended her title twice. Marshall needed just 3 rounds to KO Maria Lindberg of Sweden in April 2021, then just 2 for the TKO win against Lolita Muzeya of Zambia in October 2021.

Warming up for the unification

Men’s boxing may continue to top the headlines, although given the quality and competitiveness on view in the women’s arena of the sport, more bookmakers are constantly offering betting options for the biggest bouts. Given that Savannah Marshall remains unbeaten throughout her professional career, and remains the only boxer to have defeated Claressa Shields at amateur level, excitement is inevitably building ahead of a potential confrontation later this year.

However, the first task at hand for Marshall is to successfully defeat Femke Hermans, while the tough Belgian will be no pushover. That being said, Marshall is already regarded as the clear favourite at the leading sportsbooks, widely tipped to claim victory and then book a unification bout with Shields. That would potentially take place later this year, although in the meantime, this gives us plenty of time to ensure we’re getting the best odds and offers.

As for the immediate challenge facing Marshall, she will be keen to maintain a superb record, with all but two of her 11 wins to date having been resolved by knockout victories, while the other two came via unanimous decisions. Following the recent victory against Slovenian rival Ema Kozin in February, there’s no doubt Shields will be watching Marshall with great interest, ahead of what would undoubtedly be a blockbuster occasion in women’s boxing.