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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Robert Hynes

Claressa Shields named pound-for-pound number one by DAZN ahead of Katie Taylor but not everyone agrees

Claressa Shields has been named the female pound-for-pound number one by DAZN following her win over Savannah Marshall, overtaking Katie Taylor on the broadcaster's list.

The 27-year-old won via unanimous decision after a stunning bout to add Marshall’s WBO middleweight belt to her WBC, WBA and IBF crowns.

The fight, which topped Britain’s first all-female card, was supposed to take place five weeks ago but was postponed following the death of the Queen.

READ MORE: Claressa Shields explains mid-fight conversation with Savannah Marshall

At a sold-out O2, Marshall, walked to the ring by England Euro 2022 winner and fellow north-east native Jill Scott, had to withstand a flurry of early blows before pinning her opponent to the ropes in an explosive first round.

Marshall, with 10 knockouts on her record to her opponent’s two, caught Shields early in the second, briefly putting the 27-year-old back on her heels.

Shields possessed the speed but Marshall had the power, and the pace continued through to a brutal fifth round with both women landing a some hefty hooks.

The busier Shields was undoubtedly ahead on the cards by the eighth but a cut appeared on her forehead as Marshall found a way through her defence.

Marshall knew she needed a knockout and threw everything at Shields in another savage final round, but the American landed the cleaner shots and took the fight with the judges scoring it 96-94, 97-93 and 97-93.

Claressa Shields took on Savannah Marshall (Getty Images)

Following the bout, DAZN put Shields in the number one spot on their Women's Pound for Pound list.

Explaining their decision, DAZN said: "Shields now occupies the position due to the fight, one that she was once considered an underdog in, going her way without any doubt surrounding it.

"Where Taylor was pushed close by Serrano earlier this year, Shields was able to dominate Marshall for lengthy periods despite the Brit rallying late on.

"Shields, a fighter who carries the GWOAT moniker, is finally back in the gloried position and based on her most recent performance, it will take a special boxer to oust her as number one."

But not everyone agreed with the decision, with many boxing fans taking to social media to claim Taylor is the still the best around.

One wrote: "Claressa Shields is right up their with one of the best women to ever lace up a pair of boxing gloves, but the GWOAT is and always will be Katie Taylor."

Another commented: "[Shields] still isn't the best female boxer, nor was that the best women's bout, both of those include Katie Taylor!"

Someone else added: "Katie Taylor is the GWOAT of women’s boxing Clarissa Shields couldn’t lace her gloves."

Although many people believe Shields is correctly described as the world's number one.

One said: "It’s time to admit that Claressa Shields is the number 1 p4p female fighter in the world. She would do horrendous things to Katie Taylor. I don’t like her, but what a fighter she is. Ahead of everyone else by a country mile."

One other fan commented: "Katie Taylor is great by anyone's standards, but Claressa Shields is totally on another level."

Marshall also stated that Shields is the greatest of all-time after the fight.

She said: "Claressa is a brilliant fighter - not as fast as I thought! She has definitely earned the title of the Greatest Woman of All Time."

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