Boxing
Road to Detroit: How did Claressa Shields arrive at Franchón Crews-Dezurn rematch?
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Claressa Shields will bid to extend her status as the GWOAT of boxing when she faces Franchón Crews-Dezurn in a rematch in Detroit tonight.
'T-Rex' made her professional debut against the now-unified super-middleweight champion back when she started out in the sport a decade ago.
Ten years on from their first encounter, the pair will roll it back as Shields puts her undisputed heavyweight crown on the line at Little Caesars Arena.
But how did both women come to this bout? DAZN News looks back at the last five fights for each star, and profiles what brought them back together.
Claressa Shields (17-0)
- Age: 30
- Fights: 17
- Last five: WWWWW
Yet to taste professional defeat, Shields has found a head of steam in the past few years as she has motored between divisions on the battle path.
Victory at middleweight over Savannah Marshall in 2022 saw her go undisputed, before she mounted a successful defence against Maricela Cornejo.
In 2024, she knocked out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse to become a heavyweight champion too, and then went undisputed a year ago against Danielle Perkins.
Shields fought twice in 2025, most recently wrapping a defence against Lani Daniels in Detroit, and returns to the same venue now for this latest test.
Franchón Crews-Dezurn (10-2 (1))
- Age: 38
- Fights: 13
- Last five: WWLWW
Decorated as an amateur, Crews-Dezurn lost on her debut bout as a professional to Shields, but has since rebounded with admirable skill and intent.
She outpointed Ashleigh Curry in 2021, before unifying a slate of super-middleweight titles the following year with a key turn against Elin Cederroos.
A second career loss followed in 2023 against Marshall, who ended her tenure as champion, though she reclaimed two against Shadasia Green the same year.
After spending 2024 on the sidelines, Crews-Dezurn subsequently scored a successful defence against Citlalli Ortiz on her return to the ring last year.
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