Claressa Shields is preparing to defend her undisputed heavyweight championship against a familiar foe, Franchon Crews-Dezurn, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on February 22. This highly anticipated matchup will be streamed live on DAZN.
Shields (17-0, 3 KOs), recognized as ESPN’s top pound-for-pound female boxer, previously faced Crews-Dezurn (10-2, 2 KOs) during her professional debut in 2016. Nearly a decade later, they will square off again with the stakes significantly higher as Shields aims to make her second defense of the heavyweight title.
Reflecting on their first encounter, Shields said, “In 2016, I had just come off winning two Olympic gold medals, and finding an opponent was tough. Franchon stepped in. I’ve grown a lot since that first victory, winning nineteen world titles, the ESPY award, and many other achievements, but we have unfinished business. She claims she can beat me in a world championship fight. We went four rounds in our pro debut, and this fight will pick up from round five.”
Following her loss to Shields, Crews-Dezurn went on to have an impressive run, remaining unbeaten for nine fights and earning the title of undisputed super middleweight champion. However, she lost that title in a closely contested match against Shields’ rival, Savannah Marshall, in 2023. Since then, Crews-Dezurn has regained momentum, winning two fights and capturing the WBA interim and WBC super middleweight titles in 2023.
Now at 38, Crews-Dezurn is determined to be the first to mar Shields’ perfect record. “I’ve been waiting and working a long time for this moment, and we finally meet again,” she stated. “This time, we’re both established champions with great legacies. I’m daring to be even greater by going up in weight, strutting into hell to create my heaven. I’m a worldwide woman that’s good in any hood and can’t wait to give Detroit, along with the world, a great fight.”
This upcoming bout marks Shields’ first fight since signing an impressive $8 million multi-fight deal with Salita Promotions and Wynn Records.
Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting matchup and other stories in the world of sports at hiphopraisedmetheblog.com.
