Savannah Marshall and Natasha Jonas Win World Titles, Dalton Smith TKOs Sam Maxwell for British Super Lightweight Titles
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Saturday, July 1, 2023, was a telling date with destiny in the United Kingdom, with two bouts in particular of relevance. Savannah Marshall, Natasha Jonas and Dalton Smith were the big British winners of the moment. Lewis Sylvester, Conner Kelsall, Quiase Khademi, Marie Connan, Sion Yaxley and Colm Murphy were also victorious in regional UK bouts.
Marshall, 13-1 with 10 knockouts, Hartlepool, United Kingdom, the former WBO World Middleweight champion, stepped up one class to super middleweight for the first time in her career, and won a unanimous 10 round decision over Franchon Crews Dezern, 8-2 with two knockouts, Baltimore, Maryland, at Manchester Arena, to win the undisputed WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF Female World Super Middleweight titles. The victory set up a possible rematch with undisputed World Middleweight champion Claressa Shields at 168 pounds. Shields was at ringside.
Marshall, younger and stronger, clearly out worked Dezern for the majority of rounds to easily win another world title. The two fighters brawled a lot, however Marshall landed most of the heavier shots, while Dezern swung wildly and missed more often than not, unable to find the target even when in close range. Maryland judge Paul Wallace had it a draw.
Result: Savannah Marshall Win Majority 10 Franchon Crews Dezern, Super Middleweights
Marshall wins WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF Female World Super Middleweight titles
Scoring: 95-95 Draw. 99-92, 97-93 Marshall. Referee: Victor Loughlin.
IBF, WBC and WBO Female World Super Welterweight champion Natasha Jonas, 14-2-1 with nine knockouts, Liverpool, United Kingdom, won the vacant IBF Female World Welterweight title in the lower weight class on the undercard, with an eighth round stoppage of Kandi Wyatt, 11-5 with three knockouts, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Wyatt, the WBA Female Inter-Continental champion, was unsuccessful in her fourth world title attempt.
Result: Natasha Jones TKO 8 Kandi Wyatt, Welterweights (0:33)
Jonas wins vacant IBF Female World Welterweight title. Referee: Marcus McDonnell.
At Sheffield Arena, Dalton ‘Thunder’ Smith, 15-0 with 11 knockouts, Sheffield, United Kingdom, retained the BBBofC British Super Lightweight title and won the vacant Commonwealth Boxing Council Super Lightweight title with a seventh round technical knockout over former CBC champion and world title challenger Sam Maxwell, 17-2. Smith was cut over both eyes from accidental head clashes during the rather rough affair, featuring frequent holding. Smith was winning all of the rounds though, and by the sixth round, Maxwell was getting hit with too much thunder from Smith’s power shots. The cuts did not. figure into the bout, fortunately for Smith his corner cut man was able to handle it. A sudden left and right combination to the chin and head sent Maxwell down and out at 1:34 of the seventh round as referee Kevin Parker waved the bout off with Maxwell out on his back.
The popular Maxwell gave a good accounting of himself despite not winning most rounds. Perhaps Maxwell was looking a magic moment when he pulled a rabbit out of the hat and stopped Sabri Sediri at 2:46 of the tenth and final round to win the vacant WBO European Super Lightweight title at Leicester Arena in 2019. Maxwell was stopped in the ninth round of an IBO vacant World Super Lightweight title bout at Echo Arena in Liverpool by Alejandro Meneses after getting dropped twice. Meneses subsequently lost the IBO world title in his first defense in January 21023 to 27-0 Zhakosh Turanov of Kazakhstan.
Result: Dalton Smith TKO 7 Sam Maxwell, Super Lightweights (0:33)
Smith retains BBBof C and Wins vacant CBC Super Lightweight title
Smith put Maxwell down and out on his back with a clean left-right combination to the chin
Referee: Marcus McDonnell
English