Franchon Crews-Dezurn feels overlooked and underappreciated, promoter says

Franchon Crews-Dezurn is channeling her inner Marvin Hagler ahead of her rematch with Claressa Shields, which takes place Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 

Crews-Dezurn, 10-2 (2 KOs), was vocal at a media workout held in Hollywood, Florida. Crews-Dezurn, a former undisputed super middleweight champion, feels overlooked.

“She’s carrying a chip on her shoulder,” Dmitriy Salita, who promotes both Crews-Dezurn and Shields, told BoxingScene. “She looked really sharp in the ring, and she was saying that she never got her respect.” 

Crews-Dezurn, a 38-year-old from Baltimore, Maryland, and Shields turned pro against each other in 2016. The bout was competitive, but Shields, the two-time Olympic gold medalist from Flint, Michigan, won a four-round unanimous decision. The bout was on the undercard of the first Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev match.

Crews-Dezurn became undisputed by defeating Elin Cederroos on the undercard of Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano I. Yet she would lose her crown in her next fight to Savannah Marshall via a majority decision. Crews-Dezurn would upset unbeaten Shadasia Green in 2023 and signed with Salita Promotions in April 2025 with the hopes of landing a Shields rematch. 

In the buildup to her rematch with Shields, 17-0 (3 KOs), Crews-Dezurn is feeling dismissed despite a deep amateur career, and her only losses being competitive. 

“I see fire in her eyes. As the old saying goes, ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,’” Salita said. “She has nothing to lose and everything to gain.” 

The bout is reminiscent of the mindset Hagler had. The great middleweight champion of the 1980s felt he wasn’t respected in the buildup to the Sugar Ray Leonard fight. Leonard dragged on negotiations and was the beloved figure who merited a lot of praise. Hagler was also well-accomplished but didn’t receive the same acclaim and had early losses. 

Crews-Dezurn is entering with a chip on her shoulder against the 30-year-old Shields, not unlike Hagler did when he faced Leonard. 

 “Crews-Dezurn, now this fight is life-changing,” Salita said. “She is very serious about winning.”

Crews-Dezurn is looking to make a statement and earn the respect she feels she always deserved. 

“She has felt underappreciated for her entire career, and she is looking to right all those wrongs,” Salita said. “She is cold and confident. It is a real fight.”