Ben Shalom and BOXXER have come under fire recently after fighters have bowed out of scheduled bouts or expressed significant dissatisfaction, citing feelings of disrespect from the promoter.
BOXXER, the Sky Sports promotional boxing outfit, has faced much criticism under the leadership of Ben Shalom. From pulling fighters out of purse bids for much-anticipated fights, such as Frazer Clarke vs Fabio Wardley and Richard Riakporhe vs Jai Opetaia, to what some might call a risk-averse attitude to matchmaking, the company has continued to draw scrutiny. The highly anticipated domestic heavyweight clash between Frazer Clarke and Fabio Wardley, initially subject to purse bid issues, eventually saw its first encounter in March 2024, ending in a thrilling split draw. The rematch, however, was far more decisive, with Wardley securing a devastating first-round knockout victory over Clarke in October 2024. Wardley later vacated his British title in March 2025. The proposed Adam Azim vs Dalton Smith fight, once feeling more like a fantasy than a reality, has gained significant traction. Dalton Smith became the WBC super-lightweight champion in January 2026, while Adam Azim secured a brutal ninth-round stoppage win in February 2025. The two are now on a collision course, with a potential fight slated for Autumn/Fall 2026, though Smith’s promoter has confidently stated Smith would “smash” Azim.
However, the company has recently come under fire again, after two female fighters described feeling disrespected by their promoter, specifically concerning an all-female card scheduled for March 7, 2025.
Francesca Hennessy’s Disappointment and Subsequent Success
One of the two fighters, rising star Francesca Hennessy, described her trouble with BOXXER, claiming in an interview with iFL TV, ‘I’ve been told to come here today because I’m gonna be announced on the card, and then I’ve not been announced […] Surely there should be more respect for me than that.’
In a different interview, with Boxing King Media, Hennessy said, ‘I feel very disrespected […] I was meant to be in a world title fight’. Hennessy, who made her professional debut in December 2019, entered 2025 with an undefeated record and was seen as a promising prospect. Her coach, Bradley Skeete, called the situation a “shambles” after they were invited to a press conference only to be told Hennessy would not be on the card. Hennessy was said to be in talks for a fight with Shannon Courtenay, a former WBA female bantamweight world champion. Courtenay, known as “The Baby Face Assassin,” held the WBA title between April and October 2021, having defeated Ebanie Bridges by unanimous decision in April 2021. Courtenay’s recent form included a points loss in October 2024, followed by unanimous decision and technical knockout victories in December 2025 and April 2026, respectively. Hennessy dismissed Courtenay’s public claims of being able to “wipe the floor” with her, noting she had beaten a fighter who had previously defeated Courtenay.
Despite the initial snub, Francesca Hennessy did ultimately feature on the March 7, 2025, “Unstoppable” card. She secured a unanimous decision victory over Gemma Ruegg in an 8-round contest for the WBA Female Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title. Hennessy has continued her undefeated run, improving her record to 8 wins, 0 losses, and 0 draws (1 KO). Her subsequent victories include a unanimous decision over Fabiana Bytyqi in November 2025 for the WBC International Female Bantamweight title, and a majority decision win against Ellie Bouttell in January 2026 for the vacant WBC Silver bantamweight belt. Hennessy is currently scheduled to face Aurora De Persio on May 30, 2026, at Wembley Arena.
Hartlepool Fighter Refuses to Fight on BOXXER Card
Savannah Marshall, best known for her entertaining bout against Claressa Shields, was also initially set to fight on the Natasha Jonas vs Lauren Price undercard. Marshall, a former undisputed super-middleweight world champion, having defeated Franchon Crews-Dezurn in July 2023, expressed her frustration publicly. Her last boxing match before this dispute was in July 2023, and she had since made her MMA debut in June 2024, stopping Mirela Vargas.
Marshall wrote in a post on social media ‘I was told I was fighting on March 7th on the all-female card for Boxxer. Opponent agreed and I’ve been in camp since December 14th. I was also asked to travel to London for the press conference where I was told my fight would be announced. Instead I was sidelined and left feeling humiliated an confused.’
The Hartlepool fighter concluded, ‘Due to disputes with Boxxer I WILL NOT be fighting on March 7th’. BOXXER issued a response, stating, “We made Savannah Marshall an offer to fight on March 7th but were unable to reach an agreement with her management. We’ve always had a great working relationship with Savannah, we’ve shared some incredible experiences, and we hope to work together again in the future.” As a result, Marshall did not compete on the March 7, 2025, card. Following this incident, Marshall signed with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in May 2025, signaling a new chapter in her career, which has seen her continue to explore opportunities in both boxing and mixed martial arts.
The “Unstoppable” Card: A Mixed Legacy
Despite the controversies surrounding Marshall and Hennessy’s initial treatment, the “Unstoppable” all-female card headlined by Natasha Jonas vs Lauren Price proceeded as planned on March 7, 2025, at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London. The event was a significant moment for women’s boxing, featuring a unification bout for the IBF, WBC, and WBA welterweight titles. In the main event, Lauren Price delivered a dominant performance, outclassing Natasha Jonas to win by unanimous decision with scorecards of 98-93, 100-90, and 98-92. This victory saw Price unify the IBF, WBC, and WBA welterweight titles, improving her undefeated professional record to 9-0-0, while Jonas’s record moved to 16-3-1.
The undercard also featured other notable female matchups, including Caroline Dubois defending her WBC world lightweight title and Karriss Artingstall battling Raven Chapman for the British featherweight title, which Artingstall won by unanimous decision. [cite
Ben Shalom and BOXXER have come under fire recently after fighters have bowed out of scheduled bouts or expressed significant dissatisfaction, citing feelings of disrespect from the promoter.
BOXXER, the Sky Sports promotional boxing outfit, has faced much criticism under the leadership of Ben Shalom. From pulling fighters out of purse bids for much-anticipated fights, such as Frazer Clarke vs Fabio Wardley and Richard Riakporhe vs Jai Opetaia, to what some might call a risk-averse attitude to matchmaking, the company has continued to draw scrutiny. The highly anticipated domestic heavyweight clash between Frazer Clarke and Fabio Wardley, initially subject to purse bid issues, eventually saw its first encounter in March 2024, ending in a thrilling split draw. [cite: 19, 20, 24] The rematch, however, was far more decisive, with Wardley securing a devastating first-round knockout victory over Clarke in October 2024. [cite: 5, 24, 28] Wardley later vacated his British title in March 2025. [cite: 24] The proposed Adam Azim vs Dalton Smith fight, once feeling more like a fantasy than a reality, has gained significant traction. Dalton Smith became the WBC super-lightweight champion in January 2026, while Adam Azim secured a brutal ninth-round stoppage win in February 2025. [cite: 32, 34] The two are now on a collision course, with a potential fight slated for Autumn/Fall 2026, though Smith’s promoter has confidently stated Smith would “smash” Azim. [cite: 34, 36]
However, the company has recently come under fire again, after two female fighters described feeling disrespected by their promoter, specifically concerning an all-female card scheduled for March 7, 2025.
Francesca Hennessy’s Disappointment and Subsequent Success
One of the two fighters, rising star Francesca Hennessy, described her trouble with BOXXER, claiming in an interview with iFL TV, ‘I’ve been told to come here today because I’m gonna be announced on the card, and then I’ve not been announced […] Surely there should be more respect for me than that.’ [cite: 39]
In a different interview, with Boxing King Media, Hennessy said, ‘I feel very disrespected […] I was meant to be in a world title fight’. [cite: 39] Hennessy, who made her professional debut in December 2019, entered 2025 with an undefeated record and was seen as a promising prospect. [cite: 3, 12, 31] Her coach, Bradley Skeete, called the situation a “shambles” after they were invited to a press conference only to be told Hennessy would not be on the card. [cite: 31] Hennessy was said to be in talks for a fight with Shannon Courtenay, a former WBA female bantamweight world champion. [cite: 6, 17] Courtenay, known as “The Baby Face Assassin,” held the WBA title between April and October 2021, having defeated Ebanie Bridges by unanimous decision in April 2021. [cite: 6, 7, 17, 21, 25, 27, 29] Courtenay’s recent form included a points loss in October 2024, followed by unanimous decision and technical knockout victories in December 2025 and April 2026, respectively. [cite: 1, 2, 17] Hennessy dismissed Courtenay’s public claims of being able to “wipe the floor” with her, noting she had beaten a fighter who had previously defeated Courtenay. [cite: 39]
Despite the initial snub, Francesca Hennessy did ultimately feature on the March 7, 2025, “Unstoppable” card. [cite: 15] She secured a unanimous decision victory over Gemma Ruegg in an 8-round contest for the WBA Female Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title. [cite: 12, 15, 26] Hennessy has continued her undefeated run, improving her record to 8 wins, 0 losses, and 0 draws (1 KO). [cite: 3, 12] Her subsequent victories include a unanimous decision over Fabiana Bytyqi in November 2025 for the WBC International Female Bantamweight title, and a majority decision win against Ellie Bouttell in January 2026 for the vacant WBC Silver bantamweight belt. [cite: 3, 12, 23, 26, 42] Hennessy is currently scheduled to face Aurora De Persio on May 30, 2026, at Wembley Arena. [cite: 3]
Hartlepool Fighter Refuses to Fight on BOXXER Card
Savannah Marshall, best known for her entertaining bout against Claressa Shields, was also initially set to fight on the Natasha Jonas vs Lauren Price undercard. Marshall, a former undisputed super-middleweight world champion, having defeated Franchon Crews-Dezurn in July 2023, expressed her frustration publicly. [cite: 13, 14, 41] Her last boxing match before this dispute was in July 2023, and she had since made her MMA debut in June 2024, stopping Mirela Vargas. [cite: 13, 14]
Marshall wrote in a post on social media ‘I was told I was fighting on March 7th on the all-female card for Boxxer. Opponent agreed and I’ve been in camp since December 14th. I was also asked to travel to London for the press conference where I was told my fight would be announced. Instead I was sidelined and left feeling humiliated an confused.’ [cite: 13, 14, 16, 30, 40]
The Hartlepool fighter concluded, ‘Due to disputes with Boxxer I WILL NOT be fighting on March 7th’. [cite: 13, 14] BOXXER issued a response, stating, “We made Savannah Marshall an offer to fight on March 7th but were unable to reach an agreement with her management. We’ve always had a great working relationship with Savannah, we’ve shared some incredible experiences, and we hope to work together again in the future.” [cite: 13, 14] As a result, Marshall did not compete on the March 7, 2025, card. [cite: 14, 16, 30, 40] Following this incident, Marshall signed with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in May 2025, signaling a new chapter in her career, which has seen her continue to explore opportunities in both boxing and mixed martial arts. [cite: 41]
The “Unstoppable” Card: A Mixed Legacy
Despite the controversies surrounding Marshall and Hennessy’s initial treatment, the “Unstoppable” all-female card headlined by Natasha Jonas vs Lauren Price proceeded as planned on March 7, 2025, at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London. [cite: 4, 8, 9, 11, 15, 22, 43] The event was a significant moment for women’s boxing, featuring a unification bout for the IBF, WBC, and WBA welterweight titles. [cite: 9, 11, 15] In the main event, Lauren Price delivered a dominant performance, outclassing Natasha Jonas to win by unanimous decision with scorecards of 98-93, 100-90, and 98-92. [cite: 11] This victory saw Price unify the IBF, WBC, and WBA welterweight titles, improving her undefeated professional record to 9-0-0, while Jonas’s record moved to 16-3-1. [cite: 11]
The undercard also featured other notable female matchups, including Caroline Dubois defending her WBC world lightweight title and Karriss Artingstall battling Raven Chapman for the British featherweight title, which Artingstall won by unanimous decision. [cite
