Detroit Showdown: Claressa Shields Battles Nemesis Franchon Crews-Dezurn for Heavyweight Supremacy

On Sunday Feb. 22, the top female fighter in the world Claressa Shields (17-0, 3 Kos) battles against old nemesis Franchon Crews-Dezurn (10-2, 2 Kos) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan for the undisputed heavyweight championship. DAZN will show the Salita Promotions fight card. Expect Shields and Crews to battle each other like their lives depend on it.

Lately, two female title fights turned out to be stinkers. One fight in particular we saw Canada’s Caroline Veyre win a decision over Belgium Delfine Persoon by tackling, grappling and grabbing her foe in every round. It also happened a week ago when Australia’s Taylah Gentzen used the same approach against Turkey’s Elif Nur Turhan. Don’t expect Shields and Crews to use the same tactics. I hope not.

Shields has the fastest hands and A-plus fighting skills. Despite fighting bigger and stronger foes she has never resorted to holding. She knows how to fight inside or outside. Crews is a different story. She may resort to occasional holding, but she does prefer to fight inside. They met before and lit up the arena with their ferocious blows.

Many boxers trainers especially in the amateur world do not teach their students how to fight in close. These coaches teach holding techniques instead. The skill of fighting inside is a lost art. Only a few coaches and trainers remain that know how to teach the style of fighting inside. If you need an example just watch video of James “Lights Out” Toney, Salvador Sanchez or Mike McCallum. Those guys could fight inside or outside and they never hold.

• Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026.
• Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI.
• Title: Undisputed Heavyweight World Championship
• Broadcast: DAZN (8 PM ET, 5 PM PT).