Claressa Shields defeats Savannah Marshall by unanimous decision to become undisputed middleweight champ

Final result: Claressa Shields wins by unanimous decision with scorecards of 96-94, 97-93, 97-93

The women’s middleweight division features two of the best fighters in the world and Saturday in London will see them square off for all the marbles. Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall are facing off with all five major titles on the line.

Shields comes into the bout with a 12-0 record and holding the WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring titles. Marshall is also 12-0 and comes into the fight holding the WBO title. Notable, 10 of Shields’ wins have come by decision while 10 of Marshall’s have come by knockout.

Shields comes into the bout as the favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. She is a -135 favorite while Marshall is a +110 underdog. The favored fight outcome odds belong to a Shields decision at +105. A Marshall decision and a Marshall stoppage are both +300, while a Shields stoppage is +750.

Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall round-by-round results

Round 1: Shields 10-9

The first minute was relatively quiet, but the second minute was loaded with action. Shields landed several combinations, but Marshall took them well. Marshall landed some shots of her own, but Shields controlled the second minute to get a fairly decisive win of the round.

Round 2: Marshall 10-9 (19-19)

Marshall was busier in the opening minute and had Shields on her heels. Marshall is using her size advantage to control the ring. Shields responded well in the second minute, but Marshall did just a bit more. It’s worth noting, Marshall is getting a lot of crowd support so it will be interesting to see if that influences judges on shots that don’t actually land for Marshall.

Round 3: Shields 10-9 (29-28)

Another busy round for Shields who was landing more consistently. The crowd was there for some Marshall misses, but it was clear misses as Shields is showing more speed on defense.

Round 4: Shields 10-9 (39-37)

Shields remains significantly busier and it was particularly the case in the final 20 seconds. She landed some big blows and while this was a close round, that should secure the round for Shields.

Round 5: Marshall 10-9 (Shields 48-47)

Marshall got busier this round and it paid off. She had a solid combo in the corner in the first 45 seconds. Shields countered and forced her way out of the corner, but Marshall was landing a bit more consistently this round. Shields landed some late punches, but not enough to steal the round.

Round 6: Marshall 10-9 (57-57)

Shields landed some big blows, but Marshall appears to have done enough earlier in the round. Marshall was also more of a bully in this round. At one point she pushed Shields across the ring to the rope, and a second time she pulled Shields on the back of the head across the ring. It doesn’t get points, but she’s getting more physical.

Round 7: Shields 10-9 (67-66)

Marshall was looking like she might push through and win this round, but Shields got a second round in the final 30 seconds and did some solid work. It should be enough to claim the round.

Round 8: Shields 10-9 (77-75)

This was a super close round. Both landed good shots, but I give the slight edge to Shields. Could really go either way, which makes this one a close one coming into the championship rounds.

Round 9: Shields 10-9 (87-84)

Another solid round from Shields as she started to get Marshall against the ropes a little more often. This is a great fight, and the biggest concern for Shields is some hometown scoring going against her. She won’t drop Marshall, but she still needs to finish strong.

Round 10: Shields 10-9 (97-93)

This was a great final round with the final 20 seconds turning into both fighters swinging from their feet. Shields spent a little too much time on the ropes and that could cost her, but she had a slightly better round. But this one really could go either way.