When is Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn II?
Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn II is on Sunday, February 22. The broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (1 a.m. BST).
What channel is Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn II on?
Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn II will stream on DAZN.
Where is Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn II?
The fight is taking place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
Who is Claressa Shields?
Claressa Shields, 17-0 (3 KOs), is the self-proclaimed GWOAT, or Greatest Woman of All Time, and she’s backed that with a long list of accomplishments in the amateur and professional ranks. Shields has won two Olympic gold medals and earned world titles in five weight classes, including being a four-time undisputed champion in three divisions.
Shields kicked off by unifying two world titles at super middleweight, moved down to become the undisputed middleweight champion, went down another weight class to become undisputed at junior middleweight, then back up to 160lbs to re-consolidate her throne.
There sadly isn’t much talent or depth yet in the heavier weight classes in women’s boxing, so Shields has continued to look for opportunities. That’s why she moved up to light heavyweight and heavyweight – though in women’s boxing, there is some overlap in the limits the sanctioning bodies use to define those two divisions. Shields hasn’t topped 175lbs in any of those bouts, and the heaviest that one of her foes has been is just a smidge above 177.
In her past three outings, Shields took out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in two rounds to win both a light heavyweight and a heavyweight title; outpointed Danielle Perkins in February 2025 to win three more vacant heavyweight belts and become undisputed; and widely outpointed Lani Daniels this past July.
The 30-year-old pride of Flint, Michigan, is fighting in her home state for the fifth straight time, with this being her fourth at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. And her opponent is a familiar face; she outpointed Franchon Crews-Dezurn in November 2016 in what was the first professional fight for both, and they’ve sparred together since. But judging by their social media posts, any friendship has been put aside for now. Shields very much wants to hold on to what she’s earned. Crews-Dezurn, meanwhile, wants what Shields has got.
Who is Franchon Crews-Dezurn?
Franchon Crews-Dezurn, 10-2 (2 KOs), is a unified super middleweight titleholder with two world titles. The 38-year-old resident of Baltimore, Maryland, used to be the undisputed champ at 168lbs.
As noted above, Crews-Dezurn lost a four-round shutout to Claressa Shields in what was the pro debut for both women in November 2016. Crews-Dezurn went on to win her first world title in her fifth fight, defeating Maricela Cornejo by majority decision for the vacant WBC belt in September 2018.
Crews-Dezurn added the vacant WBO title in a rematch with Cornejo in September 2019. She lost those two titles in January 2020 but was awarded them back when the woman who defeated her, Alejandra Jimenez, tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug.
Crews-Dezurn went on to take the IBF and WBA titles from Elin Cederroos via unanimous decision in April 2022, officially ascending the throne atop the division. Alas, her time as queen didn’t last long. Crews-Dezurn lost a majority decision to Savannah Marshall in her first defense, which didn’t take place until July 2023.
Marshall was ultimately stripped of the WBA and WBC belts, which Crews-Dezurn has since regained following a unanimous win over Shadasia Green. (Marshall subsequently lost the IBF and WBO titles to Green last July.) There was then another long layoff for Crews-Dezurn, nearly a year and a half before she defeated Citlalli Ortiz via majority decision last June.
What other fights are on the undercard of Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn II?
The undercard includes a potential future opponent for the winner of the main event. Light heavyweight titleholder Che Kenneally, 5-0 (2 KOs), will defend her WBA belt against Danielle Perkins, 5-1 (2 KOs). Perkins lost a wide decision to Shields in February 2025.
Also on this show: light heavyweight prospect Atif Oberlton, 14-0 (12 KOs), will take on Joseph George, 13-1 (8 KOs); interim WBA junior welterweight titleholder Samantha Worthington, 12-0 (7 KOs), will face Edith Soledad Matthysse, 20-16-1 (3 KOs), a 45-year-old former unified featherweight titleholder; and heavyweight Pryce Taylor, 10-0 (6 KOs), will meet James Evans, 9-2-1 (7 KOs).
The full list of undercard fights can be seen on BoxRec.
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.
