Five months on from her stoppage win in front of a sold-out crowd in Newcastle, WBO middleweight champion Savannah “The Silent Assassin” Marshall (11-0, 9 KO’s) makes a triumphant return to the North East in March for a third defense of her championship.

Standing opposite the Hartlepool heroine will be former WBO middleweight champion and current EBU European middleweight champion Femke Hermans (12-3, 5 KO’s), who took Marshall’s bitter rival Claressa Shields the distance when she challenged her for the unified WBA, WBC, and IBF female middleweight titles in 2018.

Marshall’s battle with the Belgian brawler takes place Saturday, March 12 in Newcastle (venue to be announced) and airs live and exclusively across the UK on Sky Sports.  The full card, co-promoted by BOXXER and Wasserman Boxing, will be announced shortly.

Shields is defending her titles in Wales this coming weekend; should she be successful - and should Marshall successfully defend her title in March - the stage could be set for one of the most long-awaited showdowns in women’s professional boxing.

First though Marshall must contend with Hermans. Following her stunning second-round stoppage of the previously-undefeated Lolita Muzeya in October, Marshall heads into the bout as a huge favorite. But Hermans has her eyes firmly on the prize: upset the defending champion and secure herself a rematch against Shields.

“After the reception I received last time I’m really excited to fight in Newcastle again. The fans were unbelievable and I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout or better support. That was a great night and I can’t wait to do it again,” said Marshall.

“Femke and I were due to fight last year, but she tested positive for covid in fight week so it was called off at the last minute. We know each other quite well - she’s studied me, I’ve studied her. She’s only ever lost to the best in the world and she’s a former world champion herself, so I’m looking at a tough night in Newcastle.”

Ben Shalom, BOXXER founder and CEO, commented, "It’s great to announce that Savannah will return to Newcastle on March 12th. She has quite rightly cemented herself at the pinnacle of women's boxing. Headlining in Newcastle last time was a very special moment that I believe marked her arrival on the centre stage of British sport. She’s got a very tough opponent for this key defence on March 12 and I hope we’re in for another landmark performance."