Boxing
Undefeated Shields praises rival Crews-Dezurn ahead of title fight
Published
7 months agoon
DETROIT — As Claressa Shields stood behind a clear podium to discuss her upcoming undisputed heavyweight title defense Sunday at Little Caesars Arena, she exchanged surprisingly little trash talk with her opponent.
Instead, Shields, dressed in a stylish pink fur coat, had high praise for Franchon Crews-Dezurn, who was seated at a nearby table to Shields’ left.
“Because this fight is at heavyweight, it adds more publicity to her name, my name and the event,” Shields, the No. 1 women’s boxer ranked by ESPN in pound-for-pound, said during Thursday’s news conference. “We will be made in history together throughout our careers, from amateurs to our professional debuts to our upcoming heavyweight fight.”
Shields (17-0, 3 KO) and Crews-Dezurn (10-2, 2 KO) rose to the top together as longtime amateur rivals before facing off in their professional debuts in 2016, with Shields earning a four-round decision victory.
Sunday’s fight will be Shields’ second defense of the undisputed heavyweight crown, which she won in February 2025 via unanimous decision over Danielle Perkins. This will also be the first of Shields’ multi-fight partnerships with Salita Promotions and Wynn Records, which she signed in November after exploring the concept of free agency. The $8 million deal is the biggest deal for a female boxer.
After losing to Shields in 2016, Crews-Dezurn won nine straight fights to become the undisputed super middleweight champion. After dropping her crown in 2023, the Virginia native won her next 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 promised to give fans an action-packed match.
“It takes a long time to create this material,” Crews-Dezurn said. “I always told Claressa that our journeys would be connected and that’s handsome because when we met, women’s boxing wasn’t even part of the Olympics, so we had the opportunity to perform like this and see both of our faces in handsome graphics in the arena and online. It means everything to me.”
“I’m not a selfish person. I’m very selfless, so this is definitely my dream. Everything I do, I do for my dream. On February 22, when I win, it’s definitely something I decided to do.”
Shields, a native of Flint, Michigan, said Crews-Dezurn was the first woman she was introduced to as a teenager while preparing for her first Olympics in 2012, when, at age 17, she became the first American to win a gold medal in women’s boxing. She also made history in 2016 when, at the age of 21, she won her second gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio.
After many years of using Crews-Dezurn as a driving force, Shields is preparing to continue his undefeated streak.
“She was my motivation back then,” Shields said. “I found a video on YouTube. I watched her. From then on, I knew she hit difficult. I noticed it when I was 13. I said, ‘This lady hits difficult.'”
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Boxing
Dana Whites Vision: Who Fits Zuffa Between Benavidez and Tank?
Published
2 hours agoon
September 23, 2026
Dana White would like to work with David Benavidez and Gervonta Davis. Both names would draw attention to Zuffa Boxing. Benavidez offers a clearer path to the kind of regular, high-stakes fights White says he wants to deliver.
“I’m a big Tank fan. I love Tank,” White said on Cigar Talk. “I love Benavidez. There’s guys out there that I personally like and I’m a fan of that I would like to work with.” The interview was recorded before Ryan Garcia fought Conor Benn, but White’s interest in the two fighters is worth examining.
Zuffa already has Jai Opetaia. Benavidez wants to fight him, Opetaia wants the same, and White has said Zuffa is “very interested” in Benavidez. If Benavidez gets through his proposed December fight with Michal Cieslak, White would have a major cruiserweight bout to pursue within his own operation.
Benavidez has also been reported to have one fight remaining on his agreement with Sampson Lewkowicz and PBC. The terms are not public, so his availability after Cieslak cannot be treated as settled. It is enough to make Zuffa’s interest timely.
The appeal goes beyond one opponent. Benavidez’s pressure, combinations, and body work give Zuffa an action fighter to put before its Paramount+ audience. Opetaia might beat him; a later move to heavyweight might reveal that Benavidez is less imposing against naturally bigger men. Those are risks a promoter can build compelling fights around.
Tank gives White another obvious in-house matchup: Shakur Stevenson. His counterpunching and knockout power can turn a quiet round into a finish, and Tank–Shakur would attract attention well beyond Zuffa’s regular audience. White agreed during the interview that it is a fight fans want.
The trouble is getting a date. Tank fought Frank Martin in June 2024, drew with Lamont Roach in March 2025, and has not boxed since. A star who appears once and then disappears for another year does little to fill a streaming service’s fight calendar. Zuffa’s Paramount agreement began with a slate of 12 cards and plans to grow from there. Consistent appearances have value in that setup.
White may pursue both. Benavidez gives him an active route toward Opetaia, with real danger attached. Tank gives him a potentially enormous Shakur fight. Before paying for Tank’s name, Zuffa would need to know when he intends to use it.
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Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.
Boxing
Roy Jones Jr Declares New KO Artist the Next Canelo: Fans Eager for Fight
Published
10 hours agoon
September 23, 2026
Roy Jones Jr has named one fighter as the “new Canelo” and, by extension, considers them to be the ‘face of boxing’.
Some might argue that Canelo Alvarez remains boxing’s biggest commercial star but, with the 36-year-old approaching retirement, the sport is surely crying out for another mainstream attraction to take his place.
It is also unusual for the four-division world champion that, by the end of this year, he will not have fought on Cinco de Mayo or Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Instead, occupying the latter date earlier this month was Ryan Garciawho retained his WBC world title with a second-round stoppage of Conor Benn, taking his record to 21 knockouts from 26 victories, with just two defeats.
In doing so, the 28-year-old has kept himself in the mix for unification matches with Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney but, until such fights materialise, he seems eager to remain active and defend his welterweight belt.
As far as a next opponent goes, Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz has been mentioned as a possible option following his emphatic sixth-round knockout of Nestor Bravo last weekendand it seems that pound-for-pound legend Jones would enjoy that clash.
That is because Jones has told All The Smoke Boxing that Garcia-Cruz is a stylistically similar matchup to Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier.
“Ryan is the new Canelo – everybody wants to see Ryan.
“[Cruz] has the style – the perfect style – that you want to see against Ryan. Ryan’s a classic boxer-puncher; Pitbull is a brawler-puncher. That’s Ali and Frazier, almost.
“Who would not, on planet Earth, want to see that fight?”
“Ryan is the new Canelo!”
Roy makes the case for Pitbull Cruz vs Ryan Garcia being one of the most exciting fights to make in boxing 🎟️👊 pic.twitter.com/PWVwO68sTj
— ALL THE SMOKE Boxing (@atsboxing) September 22, 2026
While Cruz is, indeed, a tenacious brawler-puncher, the 5ft 4in super-lightweight would be contending with a glaring size disadvantage if he moves up to 147lbs and faces Garcia.
Boxing
Heavyweight Brothers Aim to Dominate Boxing Like the Klitschkos
Published
10 hours agoon
September 23, 2026
A pair of German prospects hope to follow in the footsteps of Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, who became the first brothers to simultaneously reign as world heavyweight champions.
The two highly-decorated Ukrainians achieved this feat between 2008 and 2013, after Vitali reclaimed his WBC title by dethroning Samuel Peter with an eighth-round finish.
‘Dr. Ironfist’ would then retire from the sport and pursue his political career, while Wladimir became the longest-reigning world heavyweight champion in history before losing to Tyson Fury in 2015.
While holding all four major titles between them, though, the Klitschko brothers established themselves as a dominant force and became mainstream celebrities in Germany.
Since then, the German boxing scene has struggled to generate such widespread attention but, now, over a decade later, Ismet Ademi (24) and Endrit Ademi (21) are bidding to emulate the Klitschko duo.
With seven national titles between them, the pair turned professional earlier this year and caught the eye of several promoters in the UK and US.
It can now be revealed, however, that the Ademi brothers have inked multi-year deals with Ringside Zone, who considers itself the leading boxing promotional outfit in Germany.
With Ismet returning to action on October 10, the 1-0 (1 KO) prospect explained that he and younger brother Endrit, 2-0 (2 KOs), would rather establish themselves on home soil than chase opportunities overseas.
“My brother and I had massive offers from abroad, but Germany is our home and this is where we want to build our legacy.
“Ringside Zone has already shown they can put German fighters in world title fights, and that mattered to us. We made a promise to each other years ago that we would become world champions together – signing here is another step toward keeping it.”
With lofty plans for the future, the Ademi brothers make for intriguing additions to the heavyweight scene as they aim to eventually reach world level and reach the heights that the Klitschko brothers once did.
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