Avila Perspective, Chap. 202: Shields vs Marshall Tops a Blockbuster Week for Women

Shields vs Marshall Tops a Blockbuster Week for Women

It’s the Year of Women prizefighting and this week is dominated by several top female world champions from England to Central America.

American promoters Golden Boy Promotions and MarvNation Promotions team up to present a unification match between Yokasta Valle and Thi Thu Nguyen on Thursday, Sept. 8, at San Jose, Costa Rica. DAZN will stream the minimumweight world title match live at 5 p.m.

Two days later an all-female card led by American fighters Claressa Shields, Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner invade England to defend their world titles on Saturday, Sept. 10. ESPN+ and SKY television will provide media coverage at 11:30 a.m. PT.

First, let’s talk about the Thursday fight in Costa Rica.

IBF minimumweight titlist Valle (25-2, 9 KOs) meets Vietnam’s Thi Thu Ngyuen (5-0, 1 KO) who holds the WBO minimumweight title. It’s speed versus strength in this unification title fight.

Valle, 30, has the better athleticism and agility. Since she began fighting professionally in 2014, the swift-moving fighter has never shunned away from top opposition. Even though still learning the sport Valle fought Japan’s Naoko Fujioka for the WBO light flyweight world title in Tokyo. It was her first loss.

Next, Valle traveled to Germany and challenged Tina Rupprecht for an interim title and lost again. Many experts thought she was the winner. She was even willing to face Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada in Los Angeles but her trainer at the time was unable to make the trip, so she backed off. She did travel to Spain in August 2019 and challenged Joana Pastrana for the IBF title and won by split decision. She’s remained champion ever since.

Nguyen, 25, needed to wait many months because of Covid restrictions before she was allowed to challenge Japan’s Etsuko Tada for the WBO title last October in South Korea. Though she won by unanimous decision over the taller southpaw, many felt she lost the fight. No rematch was given and here she is fighting Valle in a unification match.

She is a very strong fighter as her match with Tada displayed. The Japanese fighter had been named Knockout Puncher of the Year in 2020 with a one-punch destruction of Ayaka Miyao in their second clash on December 2020. Though she connected often on Nguyen, the Vietnamese fighter never was fazed and won by decision.

Valle remains a big favorite especially at home. But Nguyen is very strong.

The co-main event features Southern California’s undefeated Adelaida Ruiz (11-0-1, 6 KOs) meeting Mexico’s Sonia Osorio (15-7-2, 4 KOs) for the interim WBC super flyweight title.

Ruiz, 33, didn’t begin her pro career until age 28 because of motherhood. Though she was well known in the amateur circuit boxing took a back seat to raising her three children. For 10 years she was out of boxing until deciding she could re-enter the boxing world. She re-emerged still flaunting fast hands and knockout power.

Osorio, 29, hails from Mexico City and has never wavered in accepting fights against the best of the best. She’s engaged in bouts with champions Seniesa Estrada, Marlen Esparza and Isabel Millan. This is a rematch with Ruiz. Their first encounter ended in a technical draw due to a bloody gash on Osorio due to an accidental clash of heads.

The Golden Boy/MarvNation card will begin streaming on DAZN at 5 p.m. PT.

Blockbuster in London

The boxing world is in a buzz over a super featherweight unification clash between Americans Alycia Baumgardner and Mikaela Mayer. And when you add America’s Claressa Shields versus England’s Savannah Marshall in a middleweight clash, well, that spells blockbuster fight card.

WBC titlist Baumgardner (12-1, 7 KOs) and WBO and IBF titlist Mayer (17-0, 5 KOs) finally meet on Saturday Sept. 10, at the O2 Arena in London, England. ESPN+ and SKY television will show the Top Rank and Boxxer Promotions card.

Both fights are tinged with animosity and fire.

Baumgardner seems the more emotional about her match with Mayer and admits to having a personal vendetta with the Southern California native.

“I’m knocking Mikaela out Sept. 10, that’s all I know. I’m a dog walk you,” said Baumgardner while being interviewed. “I’m going to make you do what I want you to do. You are going to see something. Just watch Mikaela.”

Mayer admits to purposely engaging in social media wars mainly to convince promoters to make the fight happen. Pushing the envelope to advance women’s boxing has always been a goal.

“We’re both fighters. We’re both world champions and both competitors. Both willing to put our ass on the line,” said Mayer a 2016 Olympian. “I don’t want to let my team down. And, also, to show we’re one of the few women able to fight on this platform and show that we can box and be in this stage and have that skill and ability.”

The same goes for Shields, one of the most decorated female prizefighters ever in the history of the sport.

“It means a lot to be a role model. I just want to give people hope. It doesn’t matter who your parents were. Or if you were born into poverty, your choices and your decisions are what dictate your life,” said Shields during an interview on social media.

Shields (12-0, 2 KOs), the WBA, WBC, IBF titlist seeks to become undisputed middleweight champion again and to avenge her only career loss to WBO titlist Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs) when they fought as amateurs 10 years ago. She was also undisputed super welterweight champion.

Marshall has dominated almost every fight she’s been involved in and expects to win again. She has George Foreman like power and height over Shields and feels that gives her the advantage over the American fighter considered the best female boxer pound for pound.

“I think (Shields) improved definitely since when we boxed in the amateurs. She boxes more as a pro now. She boxes better than she did in 2012,” said Marshall. “I am a star and I’ll be an even bigger star on Sept. 10 when I beat her.”

More than a half dozen female bouts are included in the fight card from London. It’s comprised of Americans, British and other European fighters from flyweight to super welterweight.

“It’s a big fight especially for female boxing,” said John David Jackson, the trainer for Shields.

Tension between the main event fighters has been ongoing for years, but they all agree on the importance of this fight card.

“It’s going to be huge for women’s boxing and boxing period,” Baumgardner says.

The show will be streamed at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Saturday.

Influencers Fight in LA

A boxing card mixed with NFL, NBA and TicTok stars takes place on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.  It will also be available to watch on pay-per-view.

Several pro boxers are on the card such as Marco Deckmann, Jalan Walker and Moises Gomez.

Athletes competing are LeVeon Bell, Adrian Peterson and Nick “Swaggy P” Young.

Influencers are AnEason Gib, Blueface and Landon McBoom. Doors for the event open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m. It can be seen live at www.socialgloves.tv on pay-per-view.

All Star Boxing in SoCal

Ed Holmes has returned from a brief sabbatical with an All Star Boxing show at Commerce Casino on Saturday, Sept. 10. The doors open at 6 p.m.

All Star Boxing has been around for decades and always has an array of celebrity guests like Frank Stallone, Gennady Golovkin, and NFL stars. This card features all prospects, but you never know who will emerge to become a world champion. Some of those who fought on Holmes’ cards were Sergio Mora, Mikey Garcia and recently Murat Gassiev the former cruiserweight world champion.

Fights to Watch

Thurs. DAZN 5 p.m. Yokasta Valle (25-2 vs Thi Thu Nguyen (5-0); Adelaida Ruiz (11-0-1) vs Sonia Osorio (15-7-2)

Sat. ESPN+ 11:30 a.m. Claressa Shields (12-0) vs Savannah Marshall (12-0); Mikaela Mayer (17-0) vs Alycia Baumgardner (12-1).

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