On November 19, 2016, Claressa Shields and Franchon Crews‑Dezurn walked through the ropes at the T‑Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, not just to begin their professional careers, but to stake a claim in a sport still searching for legitimacy. Both Olympic‑honed, both hungry, they met on the undercard of Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward. Shields emerged with a unanimous decision over four rounds, cleanly sweeping the judges, but the bout itself was less a spectacle than a statement: women’s boxing was ready for the big stage.

For Shields and Crews‑Dezurn, that fight was the starting gun, proving that women’s boxing was ready for the big stage. At that time, women’s boxing struggled for consistent visibility. Shields’ victory was the first step in a trajectory that would see her rewrite divisions, while Crews‑Dezurn would forge her own path toward world championship glory.

A Decade of Change

Since that night, the sport has shifted dramatically. In 2016, female fighters were often relegated to preliminary bouts, fighting regionally or on minor networks. Shields helped change that. By 2017, she was headlining ShoBox against Szilvia Szabados for the North American Boxing Federation middleweight title; one of the earliest instances of women fronting a premium network card. Her career then ballooned: multi‑division world champion, undisputed belts in middleweight, super middleweight, and, later, heavyweight. She drew sellouts, media attention, and established that women could carry a card.

Crews‑Dezurn responded in kind. After her loss to Shields, she went unbeaten for nine fights, eventually capturing the undisputed super middleweight crown. Unifying titles had been difficult for women to contest at the time, however she exemplified the rise of a more structured and competitive landscape for female fighters.

The sport itself grew alongside them. Where women once fought brief preliminaries, they now headline arenas, negotiate multi‑million-dollar deals, and draw worldwide attention. Global talent pools expanded, promotions diversified, and commercial validation followed athletic legitimacy.

Shields and Crews-Dezurn did not elevate the sport alone. The past decade produced a series of inflection points that collectively altered women’s boxing from a niche attraction to a viable commercial pillar. In 2019, Shields’ unification bout with Christina Hammer in Atlantic City crowned an undisputed middleweight champion at a time when such consolidation still felt aspirational. A year later, long-reigning welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus ceded her titles to Jessica McCaskill, signaling a generational shift. Braekhus had quietly unified the division years earlier and carried the sport through leaner promotional cycles; McCaskill’s victory highlighted the fact that the talent pool had deepened and competitive parity was emerging.

Then came 2022, a banner year. Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano sold out Madison Square Garden in the first women’s bout to headline the venue’s main arena, delivering a fight that earned widespread Fight of the Year consideration. Months later, Shields and Savannah Marshall headlined an all-women card at London’s O2 Arena; a structural breakthrough demonstrating that a premium event could be built entirely around female championship bouts. In that same period, Alycia Baumgardner and Mikaela Mayer engaged in a high-level unification clash that further normalized undisputed pursuits across weight classes. Each of these contests added commercial validation and competitive depth. By the time Shields and Crews-Dezurn prepared to meet again, they were stepping into a sport fundamentally different from the one they entered in 2016.

Shields vs. Crews‑Dezurn II: The Stage in Detroit

Shields and Crews‑Dezurn meet again on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, with Shields defending her undisputed heavyweight championship. Shields enters undefeated at 17‑0 (3 KOs); Crews‑Dezurn counters with a 10‑2 record (2 KOs) and the experience of having been an undisputed super middleweight champion.

This rematch carries layers of significance. For Shields, it inaugurates a landmark $8 million multi‑fight deal with Salita Promotions and Wynn Record; the largest contract in women’s boxing history. For Crews‑Dezurn, it’s a chance to cement her heavyweight relevance, having rebuilt momentum after losing her undisputed super middleweight crown in 2023.

Both fighters have evolved. Shields remains a tactician with power, precise timing, and the confidence that comes from consistent victories against elite competition. Crews‑Dezurn brings experience, resilience, and a refined style honed across multiple world-title defenses.

What This Rematch Represents

This fight is a decade-long arc of progress, a snapshot of how the sport has matured. From four rounds on a secondary card to a heavyweight undisputed title fight, Shields and Crews‑Dezurn trace the expansion of women’s boxing from niche novelty to mainstream legitimacy. Their clash in Detroit reflects both continuity and growth in a sport that now supports broader career paths, multi-weight opportunities, and headline billing previously unavailable to women.

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