Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall enter the history books, as over two million people tuned in to watch the undisputed middleweight title fight on Sky Sports.
Shields was the victor in the fight of the year contender, as she defeated Marshall by unanimous decision in an action-packed bout at a sold-out O2 Arena.
🚨OFFICIAL: TWO MILLION WATCH SHIELDS-MARSHALL🚨
BOXXER: Legacy is officially the most watched women’s professional boxing event in UK history and the biggest audience for a live women’s sport event EVER on Sky Sports.#BOXXER | @SkySportsBoxingpic.twitter.com/cx1ey702kw
— BOXXER (@boxxer) October 17, 2022
Sky Sports have also confirmed that it is the most-watched female sporting event on their platform, including more viewers than Women’s Super League football.
The night was historic for many reasons, the most anticipated women’s fight of all time between Shields and Marshall headed the first-ever all-female card in the UK which also saw Alycia Baumgardner become the unified super featherweight champion, defeating Mikaela Mayer by unanimous decision.
The remainder of the card was made up of some of the best female talents in the country, including three 2020 Team GB Olympians, Caroline Dubois, Kariss Artingstall and gold medallist, Lauren Price.
BOXXER CEO Ben Shalom was delighted with the figures as he reflected on a historic night for boxing.
“It was a historic event. We staged something many thought wasn’t possible and it will go down in the history books. We hope it has set the stage for what is to come.
“I want to thank Sky for their unwavering support for women’s sport and boxing. From a standing start, in just 12 months our partnership has achieved so much already and Saturday night culminated in a record-breaking event.
“We believe in the power of boxing and the next generation. Our focus from day one has to bring inclusivity, innovation and entertainment to one of the oldest sports in the world. We want BOXXER to be a force for good within boxing and have a positive impact on repositioning the sport for its long-term health and success.
“For women’s sport this was truly iconic and we want to thank all the fans for the support along with everyone involved and, of course, all the fighters. We can now look forward to an extremely bright future and carry such positive momentum into the rest of the year with some huge fight nights ahead.”
The bout was accessible on Sky Sports and Sky Showcase, meaning it would be more accessible for viewers for those who didn’t get a ticket, as the two history makers sold out the O2.