DETROIT – What started with physicality between Claressa Shields and Franchon Crews-Dezurn at Saturday’s weigh-in turned into a short but ugly brawl between the fighters’ camps – and left Crews-Dezurn hurt and waiting to decide whether she will move forward with Sunday’s main event.
A source with the promotion says a replacement is available in case Crews-Dezurn does not go forward with the fight. They declined to disclose the replacement's name.
After Shields and Crews-Dezurn stepped on the scale in the concourse of Little Caesars Arena, they were called to the center of the stage for the traditional face-off for the sake of the media in attendance. Crews-Dezurn put her forehead up against Shields’, and the undisputed heavyweight champion shoved Crews-Dezurn away.
That kind of thing happens on occasion in combat sports – and they weren’t even the first fighters to get physical during this weigh-in.
But what happened afterward poured gasoline on a fire that otherwise seemed as if it was about to put itself out.
All of the fighters at the weigh-in had been told they could bring only one team member up with them. That apparently did not apply to the main event. After the shove, a security guard jumped onstage and tried to hold Crews-Dezurn back. Crews-Dezurn’s husband, pro boxer Glenn Dezurn, slapped the guard’s hand away from her.
Members of the fighters’ camps then began to jaw at and jostle with each other. Shields had walked away from the stage and was not involved in any of the confrontations that followed her shove. Things seemed to have calmed down onstage.
And then a brief melee broke out behind the stage.
Crews-Dezurn pursued – sources told BoxingScene that she was trying to get to Glenn Dezurn, who was involved. Video captured by FightHype shows Crews-Dezurn in an area behind the stage, falling into a table and onto the ground. Glenn Dezurn was soon back with her. The fighting had quickly come to an end.
But the damage had apparently been done.
After the weigh-in, representatives from all of the fighters’ teams were supposed to attend a rules meeting. Crews-Dezurn was seen speaking privately with her manager, Peter Kahn. Although rumors were circulating that she was hurt and seeking to change the fight contract, BoxingScene has not yet been able to learn whether this was indeed true.
After the rules meeting, Kahn did confirm to BoxingScene that Crews-Dezurn had rolled her ankle. He was asked whether the fight would move forward: “We’ll see,” he responded. BoxingScene texted him several hours later but had not heard back with any updates at the time of publishing this story.
A separate source with personal knowledge of the situation tells BoxingScene that Crews-Dezurn has a swollen knee and ankle and plans to see a doctor on Sunday morning before making any decision.
BoxingScene will continue to monitor this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
