SAVANNAH MARSHALL is hoping to use her professional UK debut as a stepping stone to some of the biggest fights on offer in women’s boxing.

The Hartlepool middleweight will fight on the undercard of Hughie Fury’s British heavyweight title bout with Sam Sexton in Bolton on May 12 as she looks to continue her progress through the paid ranks.

She could not have wished for a more high-profile start to her professional career as she featured on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather’s explosive encounter with Conor McGregor last year, beating Sydney LeBlanc over four rounds.

That has whetted her appetite for more glamour outings in the future, but she accepts she needs to get more ring-time under her belt before she can target some of the biggest names in her sport.

“I feel so excited to be back in the ring, and especially back home in the UK where my family and fans can get to see me,” said Marshall, who became Britain’s first female amateur World champion in 2012. “Making my pro debut on the Mayweather-McGregor card was absolutely incredible, and an experience I will never, ever forget.

“It doesn’t get any bigger than that, and it has given me some great career experience for my future. However, I’m now back in the UK and it’s my first fight here since the GB Championships in 2015 when I was an amateur. Now, I’m on a massive British heavyweight title show that’s live on terrestrial TV on Channel Five.”

Marshall, who is nicknamed the ‘Silent Assassin’, has been training with Peter and Hughie Fury, and freely admits her ultimate ambition is a showdown with WBC and WBA female World champion Clarissa Shields.

Marshall is the only woman to have beaten Shields in the amateur ranks, and is looking forward to renewing rivalries in the not-too-distant future.

“There are some elite girls around my weight class like Christina Hammer and Hanna Gabriels, and of course Clarissa Shields,” said Marshall. “It’s an exciting time for women’s boxing and I can’t wait to get the big fights on.

“Shields is unbeaten in five fights and already a unified World champion, so there’s no reason why I can’t be facing her again soon as long as I keep busy and improving. I’d be very confident going into a rematch with her.”

Thanks to her appearance at the London 2012 Olympics, Marshall has been at the vanguard of a surge of interest in women’s boxing.

Along with the likes of Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor, she will attempt to translate the success of the amateur scene to the professional ranks, having been a staunch supporter of the sport from the moment she first put on a pair of gloves at the Hartlepool Headland club.

“Boxing is a great sport to be involved in, and even if you’re not going to go on and box amateur or pro, you will get super-fit, gain more confidence and learn a bit of self-defence,” said Marshall. “I hope that young girls watching me will get inspired to get themselves down the boxing gym and give it a try. Who knows? One of those girls could end up World champion one day.”