Who will you be rooting for: Savannah Marshall or Claressa Shields?

The Ring Fight Picks

Mayer vs Baumgardner

Here’s how the experts see it: THE RING MAGAZINE/RINGTV.COM

TOM GRAY: MAYER UD

“I think Baumgardner is a skilled and powerful pro. I know a lot of insiders that picked her to beat Teri Harper and she cleaned house that night. However, I still think she’s a work in progress and Mayer’s experience at this level could be crucial. I think Baumgardner has a lot of success early, but Mayer closes the gap to win a close – maybe even controversial – decision.”

ANSON WAINWRIGHT: MAYER MD

“This is the toughest test of Mayer’s career to date. However, I think Mayer rise to the occasion and will pick her spots and box a disciplined fight. Baumgardner is too good not to have moments and the fight will be exciting but I like Mayer to win majority decision.”

LEE GROVES: MAYER UD

“Mayer is taller, rangier and an excellent ring general, plus she has fought the better level of opposition. She showed against Maiva Hamadouche that she can successfully trade with a respected puncher, if need be, but I don’t expect her to do so here. I believe she will use her boxing skills to pile up the points, frustrate Baumgardner, and score the unanimous decision victory.”

MICHAEL MONTERO: MAYER UD

“The Mayer-Baumgardner unification bout is a true “pick em” match up. Mayer is more experienced and has faced better opposition, but she can’t crack an egg with her punches. Meanwhile, Baumgardner has recently shown a level of explosiveness and athleticism that is rare among female fighters. Nonetheless, I believe skills will decide this bout, and Mayer has the edge there. It will go the distance, and Mayer wins by close unanimous decision.”

NORM FRAUENHEIM: MAYER UD

“Alycia Baumgardner is agile and athletic. She’s also got some power. All of that figures to test Mayer, especially in the early rounds. But Mayer’s ring sense and educated footwork will begin to score midway through the fight and prove to be overwhelming in the end.”

TOM GERBASI: MAYER PTS

“Mayer has turned into one of my favorite fighters over the last several years because she keeps getting better and she actually wants to fight the best competition out there. I give Baumgardner credit for not trying to let this fight marinate, but I believe Mayer’s superior boxing and the coaching of Al Mitchell will be the Kryptonite for her. We’ve never seen Mayer in with a puncher like Baumgardner, so there’s always that, but if she avoids anything foolish, she should cruise to a points victory.”

DIEGO MORILLA: MAYER PTS

“In a historic month for women’s boxing, Shields and Serrano will be making her case to move on up in the pound-for-pound discussion from their respective positions at 2 and 3. Mayer, on the other hand, will have to leave it all in the ring if she wants to hold on to her No. 4 in that list. She will probably achieve that goal and even earn an extra measure of respect for taking on the woman who destroyed tough-as-nails Terri Harper to grab a portion of the title. But a walk in the park it will not be. Mayer is just as determined and talented as Shields. But unlike her old Olympic teammate, Mayer will be facing a ferocious rival who is completely unafraid and genuinely unimpressed by Mayer’s accomplishments. There will be zero room for mistakes for Mayer, but my guess is that she knows what she’s up against, and she will be giving it all in search for a career-defining win.”

BOXING INSIDERS

DUKE MCKENZIE (FORMER THREE-DIVISION TITLEHOLDER/TV ANALYST): MAYER TKO 8

“Mayer win this one with the edge in experience via TKO round 8.”

RAUL MARQUEZ (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION/COMMENTATOR): MAYER UD

“Baumgardner is strong comes forward will look for the KO. For Mayer, she will change it up. Give different looks box and attack has a lot of heart. Mayer by close unanimous decision.”

SERGIO MORA (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION/ COMMENTATOR): BAUMGARDNER PTS

“I think Mayer-Baumgardner will be a competitive fight. I can see Mayer having moments but like Baumgardner by hard fought decision. I don’t see a KO with only two minutes rounds to work, so I’m going with the more active, conditioned and faster fighter.”

MARC RAMSAY (TRAINER): MAYER UD

“An ultra-competitive women’s fight. It’s obvious that Baumgardner has a good punch but I think people underestimate her ability as a boxer. Despite the fact that I believe Mayer will win it will be a tough fight.”

JOLENE MIZZONE (MANAGER): DRAW

“This one I will call a draw since I think this is a pretty even fight. I would lean towards Mayer but first time fighting outside the states can affect your mentally. Bottom line is it’s about time we have two great female fights on one card.”

BARRY MCGUIGAN (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION): MAYER

“I believe this pairing could be the fight of the night. Alycia Baumgardner is improving but I don’t believe she’s competent enough in her back foot boxing skills to beat Mayer who is an excellent attacking fighter and a deceptively good body puncher. It will be close but Mayer wins it for me.”



KALLE SAUERLAND (PROMOTER, WASSERMAN BOXING): MAYER

“A great fight, very, very tough fight. I would lean toward Mayer on points, could even be a split decision.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN (PROMOTER, EYE OF THE TIGER): MAYER UD

“Difficult fight to predict, it will be very interesting I think Mayer by unanimous decision.”

ALEX STEEDMAN (COMMENTATOR): MAYER PTS

“Baumgardner looked a bit special with her spectacular knockout of Terry Harper and while that still remains, there were hints last time that’s she’s still a work in progress. Moments of discomfort when generally outclassing her opponent raised a small doubt for me and we know Mayer will certainly ask deeper questions. Don’t expect the ridiculously aggressive FOY contender vs. Hamadouche from Mayer, she can box much smarter than that but an intelligent press might be the thing. Baumgardner looks like she has ‘the stuff’ to compete but Mayer has different ways to win as well as experience which gives her the edge against a potentially exciting opponent.”

ERIC BOTTJER (MATCHMAKER): MAYER PTS

“Great match-up. There’s quality on both sides here. I pick Mayer by decision. But Baumgardner is in this fight. She has an ‘it’ factor for sure and she can punch. She also has extra incentive to punch Mayer, considering some of the pre-fight comments. I think Baumgardner sees insecurity in Mayer and is motivated by what she sees as an entitled boxer demeaning her accomplishments. If Mayer can navigate herself out of potential trouble, I see her winning on points simply by her normal volume of blows. She throws more and lands more than Baumgardner.”

WAYNE MCCULLOUGH (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION/ TRAINER): MAYER PTS

“This will be a fight where, I believe, lots of punches will be thrown. I think Baumgardner will be forced to fight, even though she usually likes room to punch using her long jabs and good movement and, if she can do this, she can win. If Mayer is able to force the pace of the fight, I think she will outwork Baumgardner and score a close points win on the cards.”

Final Tally: Mayer 16-1-1

https://www.ringtv.com/643990-fight-picks-mikaela-mayer-vs-alycia-baumgardner/

 

Shields vs Marshall

TOM GRAY: MARSHALL TKO 6

“It’s Shields on points or Marshall by stoppage. I go back and forth all the time. I believe in both girls, and I think they’re superb at what they do. Today, my pick is Savannah. I think she’ll be trailing on points before landing the go-home punch. I’ll probably change my mind three or four times between now and fight night.”

ANSON WAINWRIGHT: SHIELDS UD

“Interesting matchup. Shields skills versus Marshall’s power. The fact that the fight takes place in England will add another layer of intrigue. I do favor Shields to use those skills and wins a competitive fight by hard fought but just unanimous decision.”

LEE GROVES: MARSHALL UD

“A lot of factors tip the scales in Marshall’s favor: Height, reach, home ring advantage, the confidence gained from having been the only person ever to beat Shields in a boxing ring (albeit a decade ago), and especially shot-for-shot power. That said, Shields most obvious advantage is her far superior quality of opposition, and she showed against Hannah Gabriels that she can bounce back from an early knockdown to dominate a contest. She also proved against Christina Hammer that she can handle someone with similar height and reach as Marshall. But Shields did that before an extremely supportive home state crowd in Detroit, and here she will be operating within a very hostile environment. Because of the weight of the occasion and Shields’ physical and mental toughness as well as skill level, I’m picking Marshall to win on points, but don’t be too shocked if Marshall wins by TKO.”

MICHAEL MONTERO: SHIELDS SD

“I believe many fans are overlooking a major factor in the main event. While it’s true that Savannah Marshall defeated Claressa Shields in the amateurs, the American was only 17 years-old and quite inexperienced at the time. Things have changed considerably since then. When comparing their professional resumes, it’s clear that Shields has faced much better opposition. She is a much-improved fighter. For that reason, I like Shields to edge this fight on the cards and win a split decision.”

NORM FRAUENHEIM: SHIELDS UD

“Savannah Marshall knows all about Shields punching power. She mocks it. She endured it as an amateur in a 2012 victory over Shields. But she can’t beat it. Shields’ power will prevail, hurting her often enough to keep her from scoring enough to prevail on the cards.”

TOM GERBASI: SHIELDS UD

“Marshall is big, she can bang and she can fight. But I’ve seen Shields make good fighters look like they don’t belong in the ring with her, so I can’t pick against her. The furthest I’ll go is to say that this will be a dogfight for 10 rounds, but that Shields is a step ahead all night and takes the unanimous decision win.”

DIEGO MORILLA: SHIELDS KO 9

“It is hard in today’s boxing landscape to find someone with the drive, the ambition, the dedication and the talent that T-Rex has shown so far in her career. Those virtues alone make her the overwhelming favorite in this fight, but the fact that Marshall remains a thorn on her side and that she is the last remaining roadblock towards all-time greatness will be the defining factor in this fight. Much has been said about Marshall’s power, which is there, as well as her athleticism and boxing ability. But even at her best she’s evenly matched with Shields in all of those departments, and Claressa’s motivation will be more than enough to tilt the scales in her favor. A war of attrition while it lasts, a final push towards the end, and as soon as Shields sees blood on the water it will be all over.”

BOXING INSIDERS

DUKE MCKENZIE (FORMER THREE-DIVISION TITLEHOLDER/TV ANALYST): SHIELDS MD

“In what looks like a 50-50 fight, this is the cream of the crop where women’s boxing is concerned. I pick Shields to win via a majority points decision.”

BARRY MCGUIGAN (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION): MARSHALL
“Claressa Shields has more skill than Savannah Marshall so Shields might get into a handy lead. However, Marshall will start to connect as the rounds go on when she works it out that you beat someone that’s faster than you by punching with them. Shields who’s been dropped before may find herself on the seat of her pants and might even get stopped as Savannah overhauls her for wide points win or, as I say, a late stoppage.”

SERGIO MORA (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION/ COMMENTATOR): SHIELDS

“I think Shields-Marshall is an evenly matched and competitive fight. I like Shields by hard fought decision. I can see Marshall having early success against Shields but then getting outworked in an exciting fight. Marshall’s height will work for her early then against her late when she tires and technique fades.”

ALEX STEEDMAN (COMMENTATOR): SHIELDS PTS
“This is a fascinating clash of both styles and personalities. Despite the more impressive ‘form’ lines, Shields represents a significant step up for Marshall and has the edge in speed. Marshall though brings more than just power, she moves with Fury-esque guile and has the potential to do something rather special. I think Shields might outbox and outthink her bitter rival but I’m half expecting something impressive from Marshall.”

JOLENE MIZZONE (MANAGER): MARSHALL UD

“This is the kind of fight that Claressa should win every day of the week, but since it is over the pond, I have to go with the homefield advantage. This is also the type of fight that you can call a draw on too, but I pick that too much. I hate to use the homefield advantage, but this is how it works sometimes, I hope I am wrong.”

CAMILLE ESTEPHAN (PROMOTER, EYE OF THE TIGER): MARSHALL PTS

“Really looking forward to this fight a great rivalry between the two biggest stars in the female sport. I see Marshall coming out on top with a decision. I believe her height and psychological advantage will be to be too much for Shields to overcome. Although Shields does have the skills advantage.”

MARC RAMSAY (TRAINER): SHIELDS SD
“I see the Shields-Marshall fight being very competitive maybe more than people think. Marshall has already beaten Claressa Shields in the amateur and to complicate things even more the fight is in England. I see Claressa Shields winning a very tough decision.”

KALLE SAUERLAND (PROMOTER, WASSERMAN BOXING): MARSHALL TKO

“I think it’s a fantastic fight and I believe Marshall will be too strong in the later rounds. I think Shields is a very good offensive boxer but her defense will allow Marshall to force a late stoppage.”

ERIC BOTTJER (MATCHMAKER): MARSHALL

“I’m a huge Shields fan. Her importance to boxing cannot be overstated. She can fight, she’s got personality (love her or not, she’s not phony) and she brings it every match. I pick Marshall. She’s the bigger puncher and she’s got nice boxing skills. An impeccable judge of distance. The team of Savannah and Peter Fury has been magic. I like Marshall to win in a fight that will beg for a rematch.”

RAUL MARQUEZ (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION/COMMENTATOR): SHIELDS UD
“Shields has more grit in her. This is personal. Marshall is the only girl that beat her. Shields is more experienced and will overwhelm Marshall and win by unanimous decision.”

WAYNE MCCULLOUGH (FORMER WORLD CHAMPION/ TRAINER): MARSHALL PTS

“The fight between Savannah Marshall vs. Claressa Shields for the undisputed middleweight title should be explosive. Shields will try to push forward forcing the taller, Marshall, onto her back foot. I think Marshall will be too smart and stand her ground, fighting Shields, using her reach to pick Shields off as she comes forward. The punch output will be coming from Shields but I think the more accurate punches will be landed by Marshall and she will go on to win the fight on a close points decision.”

Final Tally: Shields 10-8

https://www.ringtv.com/643950-fight-picks-claressa-shields-vs-savannah-marshall/

 

Love to see Claressa get robbed.

 

Yes