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The undisputed middleweight championship fight between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall has been postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland on Thursday.
The bout, which was scheduled for Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, has been provisionally rescheduled for Oct. 15. The unification junior lightweight title fight between Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner, which was also on the main card, will also be moved.
“The British Boxing Board of Control have decided that all tournaments this weekend will be postponed as a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth,” the sporting body said in a statement Friday. “We join a nation in mourning and pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her dedication to our country during her long reign and the legacy she leaves behind.”
The Royal family announced the death of the monarch on Thursday. She died at 96 years old that afternoon and had been “under medical supervision” after doctors raised concerns about her health, Buckingham Palace said in a statement. According to BBC, the queen’s children gathered at Balmoral Castle along with Prince William and Harry, the Duke of Sussex.
Her son Charles, who was the Prince of Wales, takes over as King.
“This is an unprecedented moment in our history and our sincere thoughts are primarily with the Royal Family and the nation at this time,” Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom said in a statement. “Out of respect, the British Boxing Board of Control has decided to postpone Saturday’s show.”
Shields (12–0, 2 KO) and Marshall (12–0, 10 KO) were set to fight for the first time since 2012, when they were both amateurs, on a card that many believed was among the best card in the history of women’s boxing. In that bout, Marshall handed Shields the only boxing loss of her career, at either the amateur and professional level.
