St James’ Park, home of Newcastle Football Club, has been touted as the venue for a blockbuster fight between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall.
Shields makes her UK debut this evening, coming up against Slovenia’s Ema Kozin at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.
The pair are fighting on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Williams. If Shields defeats Kozin, a highly-anticipated clash against Marshall is likely up next.
Marshall, from Hartlepool in the north-east of England, won her most recent fight against Lolita Muzeya in Newcastle. Promoter Ben Shalom has revealed she could return to the city to fight Shields.
"There is interest from St. James Park," said Shalom, who works for BOXXER. "They see it as a women's super-fight. That is a massive statement.
"That's where we want Marshall vs Shields to happen. This is what we are building towards.
"This is the dream for Savannah, and this is where the interest is coming from. Marshall has a big following now - there was a great turnout for her headline show in Newcastle."
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 14: Boxer Savannah Marshall pictured holding her WBO belt and wearing a Newcastle United shirt at the Boxxer Media Day press ahead of her female middleweight fight on saturday at St James' Park on October 14, 2021 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Shields has only lost once in her career, falling to Marshall when the pair both fought at amateur level. A rematch between the pair has been heavily touted for some time.
"Shields has struggled to get the big money and big opportunities because she wiped out her competition," Shalom said.
"It will be a culture shock for her to come and fight in front of a Newcastle crowd! But her experience in Cardiff will prepare her well because there will be a similarly fiery atmosphere."
The 26-year-old Shields, a two-time Olympic champion, currently holds the WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight titles.
CARDIFF, WALES - FEBRUARY 02: Claressa Shields of the USA posses with her Boxing belts ahead of the BOXXER Media Work Out ahead of his forthcoming fight with Slovenia's Ema Kozin, at the Capitol Shopping Centre on February 02, 2022 in Cardiff, Wales. The bout takes place on Saturday 5 February 2022 at Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. (Photo by Huw Fairclough/Getty Images)
She will put them all on the line against Kozin, who is a middleweight world champion in her own right and holds the WBF and WIBA titles.
At 23-years-old, Kozin is also an undefeated fighter and boasts a record of 21 wins and one draw from 22 professional fights.
Therefore, unless the fight ends in a draw, one of the two fighters will lose their unbeaten record for good.
Shields has not seemed fazed by the significance of the fight, however. She told BBC Sport this week that she considered herself to be the greatest female fighter of all time.
"When people say ‘self-proclaimed’ that’s narcissistic, which I’m not,” she said. “My accomplishments, performances, skills and history-making – that’s why I’m the GWOAT. Fact.”
Find out everything you need to know about Claressa Shields vs Ema Kozin.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 18: Claressa Shields works out with her trainer John David Jackson at Downtown Boxing Gym on January 18, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)