In anticipation of the upcoming rematch between Claressa Shields and Franchon Crews-Dezurn both fighters appeared for their opening press conference today, where they both showed immense respect for one another while talking to the public about their impending battle. Shields and Crews-Dezurn have fought before both on the professional and amateur levels, and still expect to deliver a show for the fans in this one. Here’s some excerpts from both fighters.
Crews-Dezurn on her upcoming fight with Shields
“I had a lot of history with Claressa and
I’ve seen her grow and do things amazing things. Myself, I’ve done amazing things in boxing, too. And this is a fight a lot of people don’t feel is going to be as great as I know it’s going to be. I’m one of the last Mohicans, one of the last dying breeds and I fight everyday and everything I do is to preserve women’s boxing, to be competitive just like the men, and to have one of my favorite dance partners in Claressa Shields because she’s passionate about putting on good fights…
“My journey hasn’t been easy…It drove me and it motivated me to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion in history. It pushed me to stand back up even when I got knocked down…I would like to clarify there’s a lot of respect between her and I. We’ve been through some good times, we’ve been through some bad times with her journey and my journey as well. And for me to be great, you have to surround yourself with greatness, and I believe she always pulls the best out of me.”
Shields on her thoughts on the fight
“When I met Franchon she was ranked #1 in the country for Team USA…We fought a lot. We fought two or three times in the amateurs, we fought our pro debuts, and now this is the Laila Ali vs Ann Wolfe fight that the world never got…I want to show you guys why the Greatest Woman of All Time got signed for $8M…And now that I’ve got this opponent in front of me in Franhcon Crews-Dezurn, I’m excited”
