Savannah Marshall could challenge Franchon Crews-Dezurn for the undisputed super-middleweight championship this year, says promoter Ben Shalom.
Baltimore’s Crews-Dezurn unified the WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA world titles when she beat Elin Cederroos last year.
Former WBO titlist Marshall lost her undisputed middleweight championship fight to great rival Claressa Shields in October, but is determined to return to top-level boxing in her next fight.
BOXXER’s Ben Shalom thinks Marshall can take a move up to super-middleweight in her stride and that Crews-Dezurn would be the right fight for her to come back from defeat.
“I know that’s a fight Savannah wants. It’s another huge fight,” Shalom told Sky Sports. “Obviously, after October, she wants to get straight back in the mix. She’s levels above many in the middleweight division and I think she wants to be in big fights straightaway.
“If it can’t be the Claressa rematch straight away, I know she wants that.”
Franchon Crews-Dezurn is the reigning undisputed super-middleweight champion
Shalom believes Crews-Dezurn versus Marshall can be made for the first half of 2023.
“They were over here in October to try and make that fight and I’m very confident it happens this year,” he said.
“She wants titles straightaway,” Shalom said of Marshall. “She’s lost the belt. I know from speaking to her it’s been a tough few months and I think to be able to gain some more belts in a new weight division is something that’s really appealing to her.
“Hopefully we’ll see that in this half of the year.”
Marshall will improve for a Shields rematch says promoter Ben Shalom (Photo: Lawrence Lustig/BOXXER)
If Marshall were to beat Crews-Dezurn, not only would it make her the number one super-middleweight in the world but it would also set up the possibility of an undisputed versus undisputed clash with Claressa Shields in what would be a huge rematch.
“Straight back in and I know Peter Fury [her trainer] and Savannah Marshall don’t want to mess around. Crews-Dezurn has had those titles for a while, she’s very close to Claressa, so I can’t see those two fighting so it is the obvious fight to make,” Shalom said.
“I think for this year there’ll be an even better Savannah Marshall than we saw last year, one that has huge experience from October and one that will be looking to kick on and hopefully will be able to fight Claressa again at the end of the year.”
