Shields beats Crews-Dezurn to retain title

February 23, 2026 No Comments

Shields beats Crews-Dezurn to retain titleImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Clarissa Shields won gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 OlympicsByMandeep SangheraBBC Sport journalistPublished52 minutes ago4 Comments

Claressa Shields defended her undisputed heavyweight crown by beating fellow American Franchon Crews-Dezurn by unanimous points decision at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

In her first outing of an $8m (£6.1m) multi-fight deal, Shields was a 100-90 victor on the scorecards of all three judges as she retained her WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC titles.

The 30-year-old is unbeaten in 18 professional outings following the 10-round bout, which included plenty of fiery exchanges between Shields and 38-yer-old Crews-Dezurn.

“I felt like I had to take my time. Franchon hits hard and she’s tough,” stated Shields.

“She was trying to cause an upset and got me with some shots.

“She’s a heavy-hitting diva and that’s one of the best fights I’ve been in my professional career, especially at 10 rounds. It was fun. I had to watch my ass every round.

“I think today I showcased my skills, my offence, my defence and body shots. I almost had her out in round seven, but she just wouldn’t go.”

Shields beat Crews-Dezurn three times as an amateur and on their professional debuts in 2016.