Four heavyweight belts and amateur history converge Sunday in Detroit
Claressa Shields defends her undisputed heavyweight championship Sunday against Franchon Crews-Dezurn in Detroit. The bout renews an amateur rivalry with four belts at stake.
Shields (17-0, 3 KOs) kept the press conference tight. No barking. No chest pounding. She knows this is about making weight, holding the center, and getting through ten rounds with her belts intact.
“With this fight being at heavyweight, it brings more notoriety to her name, to my name, to the event,” Shields said. “We will be etched in history together throughout our entire careers from the amateurs to our pro debuts to our heavyweight fight coming up.”
They turned pro on the same night in 2016. Shields won that four-round decision. Different weight now. Different stakes.
At heavyweight, Shields looks comfortable under the weight. She sets her feet, starts with the jab, and drives the right hand straight through the guard. Everything comes off balance and timing. She claims the center of the ring, works behind the jab, and lets tight three and four-punch combinations go without smothering her own work. Against Danielle Perkins in February 2025, she kept her stance disciplined, reset her feet between exchanges, and punched in steady rhythm across ten rounds to secure the undisputed belts on the cards.
Crews-Dezurn (10-2, 2 KOs) is sturdy at the weight and doesn’t mind trading leather. She digs to the body, crowds inside the guard, and rips her hooks with full extension, especially when her feet are set and she can turn her hips through the shot.After losing her super middleweight crown in 2023, she rebuilt with wins over Shadasia Green for the WBA interim and WBC titles and then defended against Citlalli Ortiz in 2025. She has been in championship rounds. She does not panic.
“This is a long time in the making,” Crews-Dezurn said. “February 22nd when I’m victorious, it’s definitely something that I set out to do.”
Shields has known her since the amateurs. She studied her before London.
“She was my motivation back then,” Shields said. “I found film on her on YouTube. I watched her. And I knew from back then she hit hard. That’s what I noticed when I was 13. I said, ‘That lady hits hard.’”
The belts give her control at the negotiating table. They do not create depth in a heavyweight division that still lacks seasoned contenders. A win keeps Shields calling the shots under that $8 million deal with Salita Promotions and Wynn Records. A loss puts Crews-Dezurn in the driver’s seat with four belts in a class where one strong performance can shift the order overnight.
Four belts. Ten rounds. Old rivalry.
Sunday settles it in Detroit.
Date: February 22
Start time: 7:00 pm ET / 12:00 am UK
Streaming platform: DAZN
Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
Fight card: Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn, 10 rounds, for the undisputed heavyweight championship