Savannah Marshall didn’t come this far just to get this far.

There remains plenty of unchecked boxes in the career of the two-time Olympian and former WBO middleweight titlist, who envisions a second title reign in her future. Marshall has the opportunity to add to her resume as she next challenges undisputed super middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn. The fight will mark her first since a competitive defeat to Claressa Shields in their undisputed middleweight championship last October 15.

The loss ended Marshall’s title reign and her days as an unbeaten fighter—but not her desire to compete at the highest level.

“How can I go, after losing my world title, back down to eight rounds,” Marshall theorized during a press conference in London to formally announce the bout. “Fans have supported me. Fans from Hartlepool traveling all across the country, pulling hard for me.

“How can I jump into an eight round and want to build myself again? I believe I’m at world level. These are the sort of fights I want.”

The fight will serve as the Sky Sports Box Office chief support to the Liam Smith-Chris Eubank Jr. rematch on June 17 at AO Arena in Manchester, England.

Marshall (12-1, 10KOs) will formally campaign at super middleweight moving forward. She previously fought at the weight before dedicating herself to middleweight when the WBO title became available in 2020. Marshall—who represented Great Britain in 2012 London and 2016 Rio—knocked out Hannah Rankin in the seventh-round of their October 2020 clash to win the WBO middleweight title which she successfully defended three times.

Her reign ended in a hard-fought defeat to Shields, her longtime rival who once again fully unified the middleweight titles in their blockbuster fight last fall. Baltimore’s Crews-Dezurn (8-1, 2KOs; 1NC) was ringside for the event, in support of Shields with whom she is close friends. The undisputed super middleweight queen also had choice words for Marshall, both on site and online before their fight came to fruition.

For Marshall, there was never a doubt that it would be her next fight. It was to the point where even the sanctioning bodies were willing to stand down on mandatory title fights being enforced to first allow this matchup.

Seeking the type of fight that would guarantee a return to the win column never crossed her mind.

“I’m coming up on 32 (years of age) now. I’ve been boxing for 21 years. If I’m not ready now, I will never be,” noted Marshall. “Time is of the essence and time doesn’t wait for anyone. If I can’t mix it up with Franchon, then why am I even boxing?

“I am very confident that I win. I’m not underestimating Franchon. She’s a tough, rugged champion but I believe I beat her.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox