Boxing
Claressa Shields defeated Franchon Crews-Dezurn by unanimous decision
Published
3 months agoon
DETROIT – Undisputed heavyweight champion Claressa Shields and longtime rival Franchon Crews-Dezurn promised an action-packed fight on Sunday night – and they delivered on their promise, with Shields defending her crown via unanimous decision at Little Caesars Arena.
All three judges scored the 10-round fight 100-90.
A native of Flint, Michigan, Shields improved his record to 18-0 (3 KO). Crews-Dezurn’s record, which still holds the super middleweight title, dropped to 10-3.
“I felt like I had to take my time. Franchon hits difficult and she’s tough, so you have to be very sneaky with her,” Shields said in her post-fight interview. “She wanted to cause a stir today and she gave me some shots, but Franchon is exactly who she says she is – ‘The Bulky Hitting Diva’ – and it’s one of the best fights I’ve been in in my professional career, especially after 10 rounds. It was fun. I had to watch my butt every round.”
After fighting 10 rounds in front of more than 17,000 fans, Shields and Crews-Dezurn shared a hot embrace in the center of the ring.
It was a rematch of their professional debut in 2016, in which Shields scored a four-round decision victory in Las Vegas in Andre Ward’s airy heavyweight title fight against Sergey Kovalev.
Shields and Crews-Dezurn rose to the top together as longtime amateur rivals, but put aside their friendship to perform in front of an all-star audience that included boxing champion Terence Crawford, rapper Tee Grizzley, comedians Mike Epps and Michael Blackson and other stars.
Rapper Lil Boosie also joined Shields on her ring walk, during which she performed her hit “Set It Off.”
“She inspires me. She came along at a time when I was dominant and shook things up,” Crews-Dezurn said. “When I see her, I tell myself, ‘OK, this is a point I can get to, or she’s someone who can keep me on fire.’ And it’s never a question of jealousy. I’m proud of her.”
Both fighters were pushing for action from the first round, but Shields, the No. 1 women’s boxer in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings, began wearing down her opponent in the fifth round.
Crews-Dezurn came out powerful after a flurry of punches in the first two rounds, but Shields adjusted to the situation, focusing on the timing of her punches and landing precise punches in the later rounds to gain an advantage on the scorecards.
Shields felt she could have landed more punches to the body and stated she would improve with the experience, but praised Crews-Dezurn for participating in the A-match, which left a stitch on her face.
“I haven’t seen a fight this electrifying in women’s boxing in a long time, and I haven’t seen one where a girl could scream like that,” Shields said. “I know the numbers were 90 to 100, but I think she got me two rounds. I just don’t know which two.”
The victory was Shields’ second defense of the undisputed heavyweight crown, which she won in February 2025 via unanimous decision over Danielle Perkins.
Moving forward, Shields said she wants to fight Shadasia Green and then have a catchweight fight with Mikaela Mayer at 162 or 163 pounds.
“And then – what are we like now in 2026? Well, in 2027, like I said, this is my niece, this is not my baby,” Shields said, hugging her niece at the post-fight press conference. “But I want to have my own children. So in 2027, I think I want to take some time off and have my own children.”
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“I just don’t think they’re going to face the fire,” Hearn told iFL TV about Dana White and his company at Zuffa.
“You have years of catching, putting out fires and being bombarded with pellets and grenades to overcome this.
“I just don’t think they’ll be ready for the fire. You must be a little unwell.” [__] to do this. That’s what I do.”
Hearn also ridiculed White’s recent comments about boxing promotion and said the UFC president faces criticism now that he is in the boxing industry.
“He stank,” Hearn said.
“He’s not used to this. Don’t forget what we do, which is meeting people, giving interviews. But he had a narrative.
“He didn’t have anyone like that. That’s why he can’t do it and instead just says weird lyrics.”
Hearn later joked that White’s repeated comments about him actually helped escalate his visibility in the United States.
“I have to thank Dana White,” Hearn said.
“Every press conference he holds, he talks about me.
“I think there are people asking, ‘Who is this Eddie Hearn?’ Little Google, boss, Eddie Hearn.
Promoter Matchroom also rejected White’s recent claim that no promoter has staged more boxing events this year than Zuffa Boxing.
“The entire media audience responded, ‘Okay,’ and moved on to the next question,” Hearn said.
“Imagine if I said that. I would be fried by it in an instant.”
Hearn’s latest comments come as Zuffa Boxing continues to try to establish itself in the sport following months of public photos between White and several longtime boxing promoters.

Robert Segal is a boxing reporter at Boxing News 24 with over a decade of experience covering fight news, previews and analysis. Known for his first-hand reporting and in-ring perspective, he delivers trustworthy coverage of champions, challengers and emerging talent from around the world.
Boxing
Roy Jones Jr Says There’s ‘Only One Fight Ahead’ for David Benavidez: ‘You’ll Beat Everyone’
Published
4 hours agoon
May 15, 2026
Roy Jones Jr urged David Benavidez to follow in his footsteps rather than fight Dmitry Bivol in an undisputed lithe heavyweight clash.
The “Mexican Monster” appears the sixth round ended with a victory over Gilberto Ramirezwhom he dethroned earlier this month to become three-division world champion.
However, despite winning the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles, Benavidez expressed interest in returning to 175 pounds, where he still holds the WBC belt.
That would mean chasing unified champion Bivol, who must first defeat IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert on May 30.
The Russian hasn’t fought since he overtook Artur Beterbiev in February 2025, when he exacted revenge by majority decision and became the undisputed king.
Bivol then vacated the WBC title after deciding to undergo back surgery, which allowed Benavidez to be promoted from “interim” to full champion.
But rather than return to lithe heavyweight, Jones would prefer to see Benavidez test his skills at heavyweight, as he did against John Ruiz in 2003.
In a conversation with professional boxing fans, the pound-for-pound legend said that a fight with Oleksandr Usyk, who still holds the WBC, IBF and WBA titles, is the only fight that makes sense for him.
“This is the only fight for him right now and the only fight I want to see him in.
“You beat everyone in every other category, [so] go upstairs and fight Usyk. This is the best fight for him.”
𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧’𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝗙𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗜 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗘𝗘 𝗛𝗜𝗠 𝗜𝗡” 🤷♂️
‼️ @RealRoyJonesJr CALLS @Benavidez300 fight @usykaa 👀 pic.twitter.com/pcSxWeol3n
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 14, 2026
While Benavidez has expressed a desire to challenge Usyk at heavyweight, he has said he won’t be ramping up his weight gain anytime soon and is therefore much more likely to receive his next assignment against Bivol.
It then remains to be seen whether Usyk will stay in the sport long enough to face the 29-year-old, which could end up fighting another heavyweight champion.
The weigh-ins quickly turned tense when Albright apparently sent a message directly to Davis during their bout.
“Be a professional,” Albright said in a recording later released by DAZN Boxing.
The lack of weight immediately sparked a backlash online, as Davis has dealt with weight issues before. Last year, Davis lost his WBO lightweight title after losing more than four pounds ahead of his scheduled defense against Edwin De Los Santos.
Friday also marked the second time Davis has failed to make weight in his last three fights.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum admitted that Davis was having difficulty gaining 140 pounds and suggested that the problem may still exist.
“Well, obviously he has issues at 140,” Arum told Fighthype. “The problem is the next category is seven pounds. That’s a gigantic difference.”
Arum also compared Friday’s setback to the loss of Davis, who was previously more than four pounds compact before his canceled fight with De Los Santos last year.
“It was inexcusable because he was five pounds overweight,” Arum said.
“He is now 0.1 weight off which he will improve and get down to 140 or less.”
Keyshawn was later asked by DAZN what he told Albright during Friday’s matchup.
“I didn’t say anything,” Davis said. “That’s what I do. I knock people out.”
When asked what kind of performance he expected in the rematch, Keyshawn gave a compact answer.
“An unexpected spectacle.”
There was already bad blood in the rematch after their first fight in October 2023 was later changed to a no-contest after Keyshawn tested positive for marijuana. Their original meeting initially resulted in Keyshawn winning by a majority vote.

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