Franchón Crews-Dezurn puts undisputed super-middleweight champion status on the line against Savannah Marshall
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — Franchón Crews-Dezurn will put her status as the undisputed super-middleweight world champion on the line when she faces Savannah Marshall on Saturday.
Two of the biggest hitters in women’s boxing will step into the ring at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, with all four of Crews-Dezurn’s title belts up for grabs.
In her last fight, Crews-Dezurn completed the set of super-middleweight titles by beating Elin Cederroos in April last year in New York to earn WBA and IBF belts with the WBC and WBO titles to her name already.
The pair have faced each other once before, coming to blows in an Olympic Test Event in 2011 long before both were professional fighters.
Although Marshall won that time out, Crews-Dezurn says she disputes the result, adding extra fuel to her motivation heading into this weekend’s fight.
“I’m bitter about the decision,” she told Sky Sports. “Savannah did what she can do, which was her best, and she can’t control the people pushing the button. But if you feel like you can do what you think you did then, do it again now. Do it. I know in my heart I won that fight.”
And on Saturday, the American will have an opportunity to enact revenge on Marshall.
“It’s going to be payback and getting paid,” she said. “You ain’t got nothing. I’ve got it all and I’m going to keep it.”
She added: “I’m in the future now, it’s not about what you did, it’s what you are doing. And I’m blessed to be undisputed, still being consistent, still competing at the top level and I want to continue to do that for as long as I can. She knows and I know it’s not what you did back then, it’s what you’re doing now.”
For Marshall, the British fighter has the chance to bounce back after suffering her first career professional defeat last time out.
The 32-year-old lost via an unanimous decision against Claressa Shields in October last year in what was a middleweight unification bout.
As well as being a keen contest between two of the best in the sport, that fight took on more meaning outside of the ring as it was first time two female boxers headlined at a major venue – the O2 Arena in London – in the United Kingdom.
And in a fiery pre-fight media conference, Marshall highlighted the impact the fight had on the perception of women’s boxing.
“The reception I got at the O2 was absolutely massive. The whole countries has just got behind female sport and I feel like me and all the other female boxers are just riding this massive wave,” she said.
The-CNN-Wire
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