Unbeaten Shields commends opponent Crews-Dezurn prior to championship match
DETROIT — As Claressa Shields stood behind a transparent podium to talk about her forthcoming undisputed heavyweight title defense on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena, she unexpectedly engaged in minimal trash talk with her rival.
Instead, Shields, clad in a fashionable pink fur coat, expressed significant admiration for Franchon Crews-Dezurn, who was positioned at a nearby table to Shields’ left.
“With this fight taking place at heavyweight, it elevates the recognition of both her name and mine, as well as the event,” Shields, ESPN’s top-ranked pound-for-pound women’s boxer, stated during Thursday’s press conference. “We will be remembered in history together throughout our entire careers from the amateurs to our professional debuts to our upcoming heavyweight bout.”
Shields (17-0, 3 KOs) and Crews-Dezurn (10-2, 2 KOs) ascended the ranks together as long-standing amateur adversaries before they met in their 2016 professional debuts, where Shields secured a four-round decision win.
Sunday’s match will represent the second defense of Shields’ undisputed heavyweight title, which she claimed in February 2025 through a unanimous decision against Danielle Perkins. It will also signify the first of Shields’ multi-fight agreement with Salita Promotions and Wynn Records, a deal she signed in November after considering free agency. The contract, valued at $8 million, is the largest ever for a female boxer.
Following her 2016 defeat to Shields, Crews-Dezurn triumphed in her next nine bouts and went on to become the undisputed super middleweight champion. After losing the title in 2023, the Virginia native won her subsequent two fights, defeating Shadasia Green in 2023 for the WBA interim and WBC super middleweight titles and successfully defending her title against Citlalli Ortiz in 2025.
Shields and Crews-Dezurn have vowed to provide an exciting match for their fans.
“This has been a long time coming,” Crews-Dezurn remarked. “I’ve always told Claressa that our paths were going to be intertwined, and it’s wonderful because when we first met, women’s boxing wasn’t even included in the Olympics. We had the chance to advance in that regard, and to see both of our faces featured on stunning artwork around the arena and online means everything to me.
“I’m not a selfish individual. I’m very selfless, so this is truly my dream. Everything I’m doing is for my dream. On February 22nd, when I emerge victorious, it will be something I set out to achieve.”
Shields, originally from Flint, Michigan, acknowledged that Crews-Dezurn was the first woman she researched as a teenager while preparing for her inaugural Olympics in 2012, when at 17 she became the first American woman to win a gold medal in women’s boxing. She also made history in 2016 by securing a second gold medal at the Rio Olympics at the age of 21.
After using Crews-Dezurn as a source of motivation for many years, Shields is gearing up to maintain her unbeaten record.
“She was my inspiration back then,” Shields noted. “I found footage of her on YouTube. I watched her. And I recognized from that time that she hit hard. That was my observation when I was 13. I said, ‘That lady hits hard.’
