Boxing champion Savannah Marshall has date set for MMA debut

Savannah Marshall will make her mixed martial arts debut in June, it has been announced, as the undisputed boxing champion competes for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in Newcastle.

Marshall suffered her first professional loss in boxing in 2022, dropping her WBO middleweight title to Claressa Shields, but the Hartlepool fighter bounced back last July, outpointing Franchon Crews-Dezurn to become undisputed super-middleweight champion.

One month after beating Crews-Dezurn, Marshall signed a multi-year MMA deal with the PFL, and it has now been revealed that she will make her debut on 8 June.

The 32-year-old’s opponent has not yet been named, but Marshall will compete at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, and the PFL has teased a future MMA fight between the Briton and American Shields.

Shields, 29, has fought in MMA three times, competing under the PFL banner on each occasion.

Shields, who is unbeaten in boxing, won her MMA debut via TKO in June 2021 before losing on points in her next bout, four months later. The American recorded another victory this February, winning on the judges’ scorecards.