Claressa Shields is back in Detroit, walking the same path she walked ten years ago — only now there’s a heavyweight title and some properly unfinished business waiting at the end of it. Franchón Crews-Dezurn. The sort of old business that never stays buried. It just waits, then turns up when it fancies, usually at the worst possible moment.
The show is promoted by Salita Promotions in partnership with Wynn Records and co-promoted by 313 Presents. Shields is defending for the second time under her historic $8 million deal, the biggest contract ever in women’s boxing. Doors open at 4 p.m. ET and the full card is streaming live on DAZN from Little Caesars Arena.
Ten Years On
That first night takes you back to November 19, 2016 — when Shields and Crews-Dezurn didn’t dip a toe in, they jumped straight into the deep end on the Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev undercard. No easing into it, no soft landing — just two pros starting out the hard way, right under the bright lights.
No shelter for either of them. Shields walked in fresh off two Olympic golds, all hype and heat on her back before she’d even thrown a pro punch. And Franchon was the one standing there saying, yeah alright then, let’s go. Crews-Dezurn stepped in when few others would. Shields took the decision. Crews-Dezurn rebuilt and later became undisputed at super middleweight. Their careers split hard after that night, but that shared starting point never really went quiet.
Now it’s heavyweight. Now it’s undisputed again. Now it’s make-or-break for legacies, not learning curves.
Shields: “Unfinished Business”
Shields didn’t tiptoe around it.
“In 2016 I had just come off winning two Olympic gold medals, fresh out of the amateurs, and finding an opponent was tough. Franchón stepped in,” she said. “I’ve grown a lot since that first victory, going on to win nineteen world titles, the ESPY award, and countless other achievements, but me and Franchón have unfinished business that needs to be settled.”
She admitted Detroit still carries its own weight.
“Selling out Little Caesars Arena was a dream, and my fans made that come true. Fighting in Michigan motivates me, and it also puts pressure on me because I never want to fail them.”
Then she said exactly how she wants this one to end.
“In my first fight with Franchón I won a unanimous decision, but come February 22, I don’t have those same plans. I plan on putting Franchón Crews on her back and leaving with the KO.”
Crews-Dezurn: “The Story Isn’t Finished”
Crews-Dezurn isn’t coming back to relive history. She says she’s here to change it.
“I’ve been waiting and working a long time for this moment,” she said. “This time as established champions with great legacies. I’m daring to be even greater by going up in weight.”
She leaned into the Detroit atmosphere too.
“I’m a worldwide woman that’s good in any hood and can’t wait to give Detroit, along with the world, a great fight. This is my sixth fight in a row on DAZN and I am grateful to be back once again with everything on the line.”
For Salita Promotions, the loop closes as well. Dmitriy Salita first worked with Shields on that same 2016 card. Nearly a decade later, they’re back in Detroit with the richest deal in the history of women’s boxing — and a rematch that carries real emotional weight.