By Keith Idec
Savannah Marshall continued her rise up the women’s super middleweight ranks with another impressive performance Saturday night.
The 28-year-old Marshall knocked out Daniele Bastieri in the fifth round of their scheduled eight-rounder on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Luke Campbell undercard at O2 Arena in London. England’s Marshall knocked down Brazil’s Bastieri toward the end of the fifth round and their fight was stopped soon thereafter.
Marshall, who represented England at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, improved to 7-0 and recorded her fifth knockout. Bastieri, a 29-year-old southpaw, lost for the first time as a pro (2-1, 2 KOs).
Marshall, who beat undisputed middleweight champ Claressa Shields as an amateur, was too big, too fast, too sharp and too strong for Bastieri throughout their bout.
Marshall’s overhand right rocked Bastieri, backed her into the ropes and caused her to go down to one knee just before the fifth round ended. Bastieri answered the count at six and appeared to want to continue.
The fight still was stopped a few seconds after the bell sounded to end the fifth round, before Bastieri could go back to her corner.
A straight right hand by Marshall buzzed Bastieri in the fourth round and bloodied her nose. By then, it merely seemed to be a matter of time before Marshall would stop her inferior foe.
Marshall blasted Bastieri with a counter left hook in the third round, which Marshall completely controlled.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.