STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Claressa Shields Settles 10-Year Rivalry with Dominant Performance

The rematch a decade in the making ended in a lopsided outcome.

Franchon Crews-Dezurn entered the ring at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday looking for a different result than in her 2016 debut fight, a loss to a woman who was on her way to an undefeated mark over the next decade. Unfortunately for Crews-Dezurn, the passing of time wouldn’t bring a different outcome.

Instead, Claressa Shields easily defended her undisputed title in the women’s heavyweight division in a lopsided dismantling of Crews-Dezurn, her onetime friend and longtime rival in the sport. At the end of the bout’s 10, two-minute rounds, the judges handed down a unanimous 100-90 decision in Shields’ favor, meaning the champion won every round on every scorecard.

Fans in the largely pro-Shields crowd (she originally hails from Flint, Mich.) didn't need to wait for a decision to know the outcome. Except for the very early rounds, where Crews-Dezurn made earnest attempts to come forward and keep Shields fighting off her back foot, there weren’t many good moments for the challenger. By the fifth round, Crews-Dezurn looked gassed, her output, footwork and head movement slowed.

Shields, on the other hand, never stepped off the gas, meeting her opponent’s every pawing jab or power shot with a flurry of punches. According to Compubox, Shields more than doubled Crews-Dezurn’s output and was nearly twice as accurate, landing 226 punches out of 554 thrown, compared with 106 landed out of 433 thrown for Crews-Dezurn.

Crews-Dezurn, 38, now holds a 10-3 professional record. She still holds the WBC World Super Middleweight championship. Shields, 30, now moves to 18-0 and retains her WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles.

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.