Promoter Dmitriy Salita believes Franchon Crews-Dezurn will one day be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, so perhaps it’s fitting that she will be fighting Friday as part of the Hall of Fame festivities near Canastota, New York.
Crews-Dezurn, 9-2 (2 KOs), will make the first defense of her women’s WBC super middleweight title, facing Citlalli Ortiz, at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
Crews-Dezurn, a 37-year-old from Baltimore, won her first title in 2018 against Maricela Cornejo in her fifth professional fight. She defended her title twice, once in a rematch against Cornejo, before losing a split decision to Alejandra Jimenez in 2020, which was later overturned to a no-contest when Jimenez tested positive for a banned substance.
In 2022, Crews-Dezurn made history, defeating Elin Cederroos to become the first women’s super middleweight undisputed champion. The bout occurred on the undercard of the historic Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano I undercard at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“I do believe that she's going to end up in the Hall of Fame once she retires,” Salita told BoxingScene. “I really believe that Franchon has already cemented her place as a future Hall of Famer, and certainly fighting on Hall of Fame weekend is very meaningful.”
Ortiz, 4-1 (1 KO), who turned professional after the 2020 Olympic Trials, opted to fight in the 2024 Olympics for Mexico. A 25-year-old from Mexicali, Mexico, Ortiz presents a unique style for Crews-Dezurn, which Salita believes can be solved in part based on Crews-Dezurn’s experience.
“One thing that you learn about amateur boxing is that you've got to be ready for all styles,” Salita said. “Coach Barry Hunter, who I have known for a very long time, is one of the best trainers and pros and one of the best trainers in the amateurs. And he has a great gym full of fighters of all different styles and sizes, and I believe that this training camp, along with her incredible professional and amateur career – which includes loads of national titles and international titles – are going to help her get through the fight.”
Crews-Dezurn channeled her inner Muhammad Ali during the pre-fight press conference, saying, “I'm bringing looks, I'm bringing hooks and I'm going to have fun. It would be great to stop her. It would be great to show my boxing ability because everybody thinks I can't box. I’m putting on a class, and it's going to be belt to ass on June 5.”
With the highs have come lows for Crews-Dezurn. She turned professional in 2016 against Claressa Shields, who was also making her pro debut, losing by unanimous decision. After becoming an undisputed champion in 2022, Crews-Dezurn made her first defense a little over a year later against Savannah Marshall, dropping a majority decision. She returned in December 2023 to upset Shadasia Green and capture the WBC super middleweight title. She hasn’t fought since, and only just signed with Salita Promotions in April.
“When you're a high-risk, low-reward for people, it makes it difficult,” Crews-Dezurn said. “I'm a big woman, so they don't want to pay like they weigh.”
Hunter hopes the new deal with Salita – who prefers to keep the fighters under his banner active – will start a new chapter for Crews-Dezurn.
“It's very frustrating, because we are always in the gym,” Hunter said. “A lot of these fighters that are good fighters, or have a good chance to be a world champion, and they start taking fights because they need money to pay the bills, and they get tired of just sitting on the sidelines. Some of the fights they take too early.”
Hunter says Crews-Dezurn, with both perseverance and patience, has earned every bit of her current status.
“I knew where she came from, I watched the grind – I was there. And to come from where she came from and to get up there and be the first to be undisputed at their weight, it's historical. And long after we leave this planet, if the planet is still standing, if we go back to the history books that day, people will see her face.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at.
