Watch: Claressa Shields denies having sex with rival Savannah Marshall before their title fight

Claressa Shields has denied having sex with boxing rival Savannah Marshall ahead of their rescheduled fight yesterday (15 October). On the Gloves Are Off show, the two women clashed over the nature of their relationship, discussing their long-standing rivalry and Savannah’s claim that they were “screwing”.

As the women discussed their rivalry, Marshall cut off the conversation, which was being moderated by Johnny Nelson, by saying, “The fact that I won got us here”. “Yeah, sure,” Shields replied.

This apparently prompted Marshall to say, “The fact that we were both screwing each other got us here”. Baffled by this, Shields said: “I didn’t have sex with you”. “You did, you did,” Marshall replied.

Continuing the discussion further, Shields said, “It’s the fact that I even gave you attention.” Marshall replied saying, “Are you joking? You lost the plot. Your head fell off. You lost all self-control.”

It’s unclear whether Marshall was being serious with her responses or if Shields misheard her opponent. The video of their exchange has gone viral on the internet.

Watch Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall’s banter

One boxing fan responded to the video by writing: “Ngl this added a whole other layer to the fight and I’m surprised it took this long for them to whip it out”. Another user jokingly wrote, “Ay don’t they say, ‘whatever happens at the Olympic training centre stays in the Olympic training centre’.”

“Tbf it sounds like screwing with each other… but don’t think she meant it in that way [sic],” another fan wrote.

The pair’s rivalry dates back more than a decade, to when they were both amateur fighters. The fight between the women was scheduled for September 10, but it was postponed due to the Queen’s death, as were many other events.

Shields eventually defeated Marshall in yesterday’s fight, with the judges scoring it 96-94, 96-94 for Marshall, and 97-93 for Shields. Marshall previously defeated Shields in the amateur world championships, which remains her only defeat to date.