Claressa Shields secures unanimous decision victory over Franchon Crews-Dezurn

DETROIT — Unquestioned heavyweight champion Claressa Shields and her longtime adversary Franchon Crews-Dezurn promised an exciting match on Sunday night — and they fulfilled that promise, with Shields successfully defending her title through a unanimous decision at Little Caesars Arena.

All three judges scored the contest 100-90.

Shields, competing in her hometown, improved her record to 18-0 (2 KOs). Crews-Dezurn, who possesses a super middleweight title, saw her record drop to 10-3.

“I had to take my time tonight,” Shields remarked. “This was one of the toughest fights I’ve faced in my professional career. She hits hard these days.”

This bout was a rematch of their 2016 professional debut, where Shields secured a four-round decision win.

Both competitors initiated the action from the first round, but Shields, ranked as ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound women’s boxer, began to wear down her opponent by the fifth round.

This victory represented Shields’ second defense of her undisputed heavyweight title, which she claimed in February 2025 with a unanimous decision against Danielle Perkins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.