Savannah Marshall is ‘sick’ of Claressa Shields and her ‘confrontational’ approach, claims promoter Ben Shalom.
Marshall and Shields both fight in the UK on December 11, with the pair expected to meet one another next year to decide the title of the undisputed middleweight championship.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Shalom said that Marshall is losing patience with Shields.
"People don't realise how headstrong Savannah is. She won't take any rubbish. She's sick of Claressa,” he said.
"Claressa is one of the best-known fighters in the sport but Savannah is convinced that she's better than her.
"Claressa is very antagonistic in person - that's her nature. She is very confrontational.
"We know they don't like each other.
"But they are also both elite athletes who want to prove who's the best in the sport.
"Claressa has struggled to find opponents worthy of fighting her, which led her to MMA. Now this is an extraordinary opportunity for her because, in Savannah, she might have met her match.
"They know each other from the amateurs.
"It was a very easy fight to make because they both want it. They both know it's a legacy fight, the best fight out there."
Shields lost to Marshall in an amateur fight in 2012, the only defeat in Shields’ career.