Claressa Shields v Savannah Marshall set for a royal rumble

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Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall.Image source, Getty Images
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Shields and Marshall lead a very exciting all-female fight card.

Claressa Shields v Savannah Marshall promises to be one of the fights of the year and Deontay Wilder is back.

Plus, Mikaela Mayer and Mel C is a link-up we didn't see coming.

All of that and more is in this week's round-up of the top talking points in the world of boxing.

Shields v Marshall will be a royal rumble

Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall will finally get to reconcile their long-standing beef with one another on Saturday when they go head-to-head at London's O2 Arena. The pair will fight for the undisputed middleweight crown and they haven't had a nice word to say about one another during the build-up.

American fighter Shields, 27, has held multiple world championships in three weight classes and calls herself the greatest woman of all time (GWOAT).

Meanwhile, 31-year-old Briton Marshall has held the WBO middleweight title since 2020. She is the only boxer to have beaten Shields - when they met as amateurs in 2012 - and doesn't mind bringing it up every now and then.

Not everyone is impressed by that particular accomplishment, however.

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Is this fair?

The fight was originally scheduled for 10 September, but was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

In honour of that, a new belt has been created for the rescheduled event.

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Fans' predictions on the outcome of this one are going both ways.

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Shields is the top-ranked middleweight, so comes in as favourite.

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Marshall has 10 knock outs in 12 fights.

If Marshall does manage to get the win then, going on what she's previously said, we may well see a rematch soon.

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This could rumble on.

Mikaela Mayer is all about the girl power

On the undercard at the O2 Arena, Mikaela Mayer, 32 and Alycia Baumgardner, 28 will meet in an all-American, super-featherweight unification clash.

Mayer has previously said she will be walking out to a Spice Girls song, after receiving a personal message from Mel C.

Tyson Fury displays a classic rope-a-dope routine

Deontay Wilder returns to the ring this weekend to face 38-year-old Swedish-Finnish boxer, Robert Helenius. It will be Wilder's first fight since the 36-year-old heavyweight's trilogy clash with Tyson Fury, which happened just over a year ago.

On the anniversary of that epic battle, his old dancing partner offered some slightly backhanded words of encouragement.

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Quite impressive the way Fury manages to reel his man in, before landing that blow. A master at work.

Eubank Jr shows some needle

Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn were supposed to fight this weekend. The bout had to be postponed, after Benn, 26, tested positive for a fertility drug that is banned by the British Boxing Board of Control.

Lots of fans have been airing their disappointment ever since. Meanwhile, Eubank Jr has stepped in to offer his help in making some amends to his opponent's fans.

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The 33-year-old made a point over the weekend of showing the world that he would have made the catchweight that had been set for the fight, despite having had to come down two weight categories and despite having spent much of the lead-up eating junk food in public.

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Some pundits were shocked that the fight came as close as it did to actually happening.

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Amir Khan puts Pep Guardiola through his paces

And, finally, it's no wonder Manchester City have come out of the blocks quickly again this year - they've been training with a former world champion.

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