Hermans out, Marshall looking for new opponent on Saturday
Marshall was set to make the first defense of her WBO middleweight title
It took a little longer than usual, but Saturday’s festivities now have their first COVID casualty. WBO middleweight champion Savannah Marshall confirmed that opponent Femke Hermans has withdrawn from their title bout after the latter’s coach tested positive.
Arrived in the bubble today for my fight on Saturday. My original opponent had pulled out due to her coach’s testing positive for covid (can honestly say Iv been there)hoping her team a speedy recovery. @matchroomboxing are hoping to get a replacement for me to still compete pic.twitter.com/B2lHYdEyok
— Savannah Marshall (@Savmarshall1) April 6, 2021
You may recall that Marshall (9-0, 7 KO) ran into this same issue herself late last year when trainer Peter Fury’s positive test bounced her from a planned clash with Hannah Rankin. The pair managed to reschedule two weeks later, at which point Marshall battered her domestic rival into submission. Matchroom has a number of other shows planned for both April and May, so fingers crossed for another quick turnaround.
How to Watch Benn vs Vargas
Date: Saturday, April 10 | Start Time: 2:00 pm ET
Location: The SSE Arena, Wembley - London, England
TV: Sky Sports (UK) | Streaming: DAZN
Online Coverage: BadLeftHook.com
Belgium’s Hermans (11-3, 4 KO) last fought in December.
Alongside the main event between Conor Benn and Samuel Vargas, Saturday’s card will see Shannon Courtenay face Ebanie Bridges for the vacant WBA bantamweight title and Kash Farooq take on Nicaragua’s Alexander Espinoza.