Tag: Claressa Shields

Franchon Crews-Dezurn, Savannah Marshall keep it nasty at final news conference

Franchon Crews-Dezurn and Savannah Marshall kept it nasty at the final news conference before their fight on Saturday.

Super middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn and challenger Savannah Marshall continued to jab one another ahead of their fight Saturday in Manchester, England (ESPN+).

Crews-Dezurn suggested that Marshall lost to Claressa Shields in October because she underestimated the pound-for-pound queen, a product of feeling entitled. Marshall countered by implying she lost because Shields is a great fighter and said that her current opponent is no Claressa Shields, who defeated Crews-Dezurn in 2016.

No, Crews-Dezurn and Marshall didn’t express much respect for one another Thursday at the final news conference before they meet in the ring.

“I’m not like her,” Crews-Dezurn said. “Unfortunately she got a defeat because she underestimated [Shields]. That’s what happens when you think everything is going to be given to you.

“You let somebody come into your [country], beat you, dog-walk you. You let somebody come and take something that was yours because you got complacent. That’s you, not me.”

The Baltimore fighter went on, making a reference to Marshall’s victory over Shields when they were amateurs: “You had 10 years, 10 rounds to prepare [for Shields] and couldn’t even do it. You better kiss my feet and be happy I came to the ring to give you an opportunity.

“I’m better than you, I’m more diverse than you.”

Marshall (12-1, 10 KOs) would have none of that.

“I didn’t get complacent at all,” he said. “You’re nothing like Claressa. You won’t dog-walk me at all. The reality of it is I don’t have to say anything. I’m a better fighter than you.”

She continued, pointing out that Crews-Dezurn’s relative inactivity – two fights over the past 2½ years – doesn’t reflect well on her.

“The difference between me and you is you sit about on your lazy a– waiting for opportunities,” Marshall said. “This was why you’ve boxed twice in two years.”

Crews-Dezurn (8-1, 2 KOs) jabbed back at Marshall by saying her resume speaks for itself.

“How can you say I sit on my lazy a– and didn’t create an opportunity when it took five minutes to introduce me [at the news conference] because I do so many things and when you’ve got hustle personified here,” he said.

“I self-manage myself. I made deals with Golden Boy and all these other promoters when you had other things handed to you.”

You get the idea. They couldn’t have been much nastier to one another two days before their fight. We’ll see whether they bring that nastiness into the ring.

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Franchon Crews-Dezurn, Savannah Marshall keep it nasty at final news conference

Franchon Crews-Dezurn and Savannah Marshall kept it nasty at the final news conference before their fight on Saturday.

Super middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn and challenger Savannah Marshall continued to jab one another ahead of their fight Saturday in Manchester, England (ESPN+).

Crews-Dezurn suggested that Marshall lost to Claressa Shields in October because she underestimated the pound-for-pound queen, a product of feeling entitled. Marshall countered by implying she lost because Shields is a great fighter and said that her current opponent is no Claressa Shields, who defeated Crews-Dezurn in 2016.

No, Crews-Dezurn and Marshall didn’t express much respect for one another Thursday at the final news conference before they meet in the ring.

“I’m not like her,” Crews-Dezurn said. “Unfortunately she got a defeat because she underestimated [Shields]. That’s what happens when you think everything is going to be given to you.

“You let somebody come into your [country], beat you, dog-walk you. You let somebody come and take something that was yours because you got complacent. That’s you, not me.”

The Baltimore fighter went on, making a reference to Marshall’s victory over Shields when they were amateurs: “You had 10 years, 10 rounds to prepare [for Shields] and couldn’t even do it. You better kiss my feet and be happy I came to the ring to give you an opportunity.

“I’m better than you, I’m more diverse than you.”

Marshall (12-1, 10 KOs) would have none of that.

“I didn’t get complacent at all,” he said. “You’re nothing like Claressa. You won’t dog-walk me at all. The reality of it is I don’t have to say anything. I’m a better fighter than you.”

She continued, pointing out that Crews-Dezurn’s relative inactivity – two fights over the past 2½ years – doesn’t reflect well on her.

“The difference between me and you is you sit about on your lazy a– waiting for opportunities,” Marshall said. “This was why you’ve boxed twice in two years.”

Crews-Dezurn (8-1, 2 KOs) jabbed back at Marshall by saying her resume speaks for itself.

“How can you say I sit on my lazy a– and didn’t create an opportunity when it took five minutes to introduce me [at the news conference] because I do so many things and when you’ve got hustle personified here,” he said.

“I self-manage myself. I made deals with Golden Boy and all these other promoters when you had other things handed to you.”

You get the idea. They couldn’t have been much nastier to one another two days before their fight. We’ll see whether they bring that nastiness into the ring.

[lawrence-related id=37934,33430]

Weekend Review: Claressa Shields should be satisfied with dominating victories

Weekend Review: Claressa Shields should focus less on getting knockouts and more on her dominating victories.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Claressa Shields

Shields might be wise to stop worrying about knockouts. It’s more difficult for women to deliver stoppages because of two-minute rounds, particularly against capable opponents like Maricela Cornejo. And let’s face it: Shields isn’t a big puncher. Otherwise she’d have more than two KOs in 14 fights. She’s arguably what her nickname (GWOAT) suggests, the best female boxer of all time without many stoppages. Shouldn’t that be sufficient? Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) obviously doesn’t think so. The undisputed 160-pound champion said going into her defense against Cornejo on Saturday that she has been working on her punching power, with more knockouts in mind. And she clearly tried to end the Cornejo fight early, loading up and throwing massive punches – some of them wild – intended to incapacitate Cornejo. The problem for Shields is that the challenger was durable and clever enough to absorb the punishment and survive to hear the final bell. As a result, Shields failed in a sense. She won a shutout decision but didn’t realize her stated goal of getting KO No. 3, which left her somewhat frustrated. I believe dominating, unanimous-decision victories are enough. Shields should fight like she did late in the Cornejo fight, not in the sloppy manner of the early rounds. Jab, throw combinations, unleash fierce flurries. If the knockouts come, fine. If they don’t, that’s fine too. Shields is great and a major attraction either way.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

Shields doesn’t have a lot of great options in her immediate future. She mentioned the possibility of fighting the winner of the July 1 fight between 168-pound champ Franchon Crews Dezurn and Savannah Marshall in her next fight or taking part in a “Four Queens”-style rivalry with Crew Dezurn, Marshall and Shadasia Green. The problem with that plan is that she has already beaten both Crews Dezurn and Marshall convincingly. Green is the most intriguing potential opponent even though she’s relatively unproven. The New Jersey fighter is 12-0 with 11 knockouts, albeit against second-tier opposition. The fact is the 160- and 168-pound talent pool isn’t deep. … It was nice to see big-time boxing return to Detroit, which produced Joe Louis and many other great fighters. I just hope Michigan’s Unarmed Combat Commission learned some lessons from the card on Saturday. In particular, the ending of the Ardreal Holmes–Wendy Toussaint fight was chaotic. Toussaint suffered a deep cut on his forehead as a result of a clash of heads in the eighth round. The ring doctor allowed the fight to go on but referee Gerald White decided to stop it moments after it continued. White should be applauded for taking decisive action but he should never have engaged the doctor after making his decision. The referee has the discretion to make any move he deems appropriate. I’m guessing Michigan officials will review the card and be better the next time around. … The Holmes-Toussaint result – split decision for Holmes – was immediately disputed because Toussaint seemed to control the second half of the fight and had all the momentum when it was stopped. Holmes should give Toussaint a rematch.

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Weekend Review: Claressa Shields should be satisfied with dominating victories

Weekend Review: Claressa Shields should focus less on getting knockouts and more on her dominating victories.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Claressa Shields

Shields might be wise to stop worrying about knockouts. It’s more difficult for women to deliver stoppages because of two-minute rounds, particularly against capable opponents like Maricela Cornejo. And let’s face it: Shields isn’t a big puncher. Otherwise she’d have more than two KOs in 14 fights. She’s arguably what her nickname (GWOAT) suggests, the best female boxer of all time without many stoppages. Shouldn’t that be sufficient? Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) obviously doesn’t think so. The undisputed 160-pound champion said going into her defense against Cornejo on Saturday that she has been working on her punching power, with more knockouts in mind. And she clearly tried to end the Cornejo fight early, loading up and throwing massive punches – some of them wild – intended to incapacitate Cornejo. The problem for Shields is that the challenger was durable and clever enough to absorb the punishment and survive to hear the final bell. As a result, Shields failed in a sense. She won a shutout decision but didn’t realize her stated goal of getting KO No. 3, which left her somewhat frustrated. I believe dominating, unanimous-decision victories are enough. Shields should fight like she did late in the Cornejo fight, not in the sloppy manner of the early rounds. Jab, throw combinations, unleash fierce flurries. If the knockouts come, fine. If they don’t, that’s fine too. Shields is great and a major attraction either way.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

Shields doesn’t have a lot of great options in her immediate future. She mentioned the possibility of fighting the winner of the July 1 fight between 168-pound champ Franchon Crews Dezurn and Savannah Marshall in her next fight or taking part in a “Four Queens”-style rivalry with Crew Dezurn, Marshall and Shadasia Green. The problem with that plan is that she has already beaten both Crews Dezurn and Marshall convincingly. Green is the most intriguing potential opponent even though she’s relatively unproven. The New Jersey fighter is 12-0 with 11 knockouts, albeit against second-tier opposition. The fact is the 160- and 168-pound talent pool isn’t deep. … It was nice to see big-time boxing return to Detroit, which produced Joe Louis and many other great fighters. I just hope Michigan’s Unarmed Combat Commission learned some lessons from the card on Saturday. In particular, the ending of the Ardreal Holmes–Wendy Toussaint fight was chaotic. Toussaint suffered a deep cut on his forehead as a result of a clash of heads in the eighth round. The ring doctor allowed the fight to go on but referee Gerald White decided to stop it moments after it continued. White should be applauded for taking decisive action but he should never have engaged the doctor after making his decision. The referee has the discretion to make any move he deems appropriate. I’m guessing Michigan officials will review the card and be better the next time around. … The Holmes-Toussaint result – split decision for Holmes – was immediately disputed because Toussaint seemed to control the second half of the fight and had all the momentum when it was stopped. Holmes should give Toussaint a rematch.

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Claressa Shields has to settle for shutout decision over Maricela Cornejo

Although it wasn’t the finish she wanted, Claressa Shields picked up a one-way unanimous decision win over Maricela Cornejo in Detroit.

[autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] didn’t get her knockout but she dominated nonetheless.

The undisputed 160-pound champion defeated late replacement Maricela Cornejo by a shutout decision to retain her titles in front of her home-area fans Saturday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

The official scores were 100-89, 100-90 and 100-90. Boxing Junkie also had it 100-90, 10 rounds to none.

Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) has been working in training camp on getting the only thing missing in her career, knockouts.

She clearly tried to score one against Cornejo (16-6, 6 KOs) from the opening bell, unleashing single bomb and after single bomb in an effort to hurt her overmatched opponent.

And many of them landed to the head of the challenger. The problem for Shields was that Cornejo has a good chin and is clever enough to survive for 10 two-minute, holding, using her feet, whatever it took.

Cornejo didn’t run the entire fight. She actually landed some nice shots here and there. However, she spent the bulk of her energy trying to keep her head attached to her body.

Shields was particularly effective when she pulled back to some degree and relied more on her boxing skills than big punches. However, it still wasn’t enough to stop Cornejo.

The No. 1 female boxer pound-for-pound seemed a bit frustrated afterward but was pleased with another dominating victory.

“I won every round like I knew I could,” she said in the ring afterward. “I pressed for the knockout. … Maricela is just tough. And she has a good right hand herself. She was very smart and sturdy when I started hitting her.

“She knew how to survive. So she did a great job.”

What’s next?

Two fighters Shields has already beaten — undisputed 168-pound champ Franchon Crews Dezurn and Savannah Marshall — are scheduled to meet on July 1 in Manchester, England.

Shields said she plans to be on hand for the fight, the idea being she could face the winner. However, she made one thing clear: The fight won’t take place in the U.K.

“I’m only interested in fighting the best,” she said. “I’ll be looking at that fight. I think I’ll go over to the U.K. and show my face. … Whoever wins, if they want to come here, I’m down for it.”

Like boxing? Be sure to visit Boxing Junkie for all your coverage of the sweet science and follow @BoxingJunkie2 on Twitter.

Claressa Shields has to settle for shutout decision over Maricela Cornejo

Claressa Shields had to be satisfied with a shutout decision over Maricela Cornejo on Saturday in Detroit.

Claressa Shields didn’t get her knockout but she dominated nonetheless.

The undisputed 160-pound champion defeated late replacement Maricela Cornejo by a shutout decision to retain her titles in front of her home-area fans Saturday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

The official scores were 100-89, 100-90 and 100-90. Boxing Junkie also had it 100-90, 10 rounds to none.

Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) has been working in training camp on getting the only thing missing in her career, knockouts.

She clearly tried to score one against Cornejo (16-6, 6 KOs) from the opening bell, unleashing single bomb and after single bomb in an effort to hurt he overmatched opponent.

And many of them landed to the head of the challenger. The problem for Shields was that Cornejo has a good chin and is clever enough to survive for 10 two-minute, holding, using her feet, whatever it took.

Cornejo didn’t run the entire fight. She actually landed some nice shots here and there. However, she spent the bulk of her energy trying to keep her head attached to her body.

Shields was particularly effective when she pulled back to some degree and relied more on her boxing skills than big punches. However, it still wasn’t enough to stop Cornejo.

The No. 1 female boxer pound-for-pound seemed a bit frustrated afterward but was pleased with another dominating victory.

“I won every round like I knew I could,” she said in the ring afterward. “I pressed for the knockout. … Maricela is just tough. And she has a good right hand herself. She was very smart and sturdy when I started hitting her.

“She knew how to survive. So she did a great job.”

What’s next?

Two fighters Shields has already beaten — undisputed 168-pound champ Franchon Crews Dezurn and Savannah Marshall — are scheduled to meet on July 1 in Manchester, England.

Shields said she plans to be on hand for the fight, the idea being she could face the winner. However, she made one hting clear: The fight won’t take place in the U.K.

“I’m only interested in fighting the best,” she said. “I’ll be looking at that fight. I think I’ll go over to the U.K. and show my face. … Whoever wins, if they want to come here, I’m down for it.”

Claressa Shields has to settle for shutout decision over Maricela Cornejo

Claressa Shields had to be satisfied with a shutout decision over Maricela Cornejo on Saturday in Detroit.

Claressa Shields didn’t get her knockout but she dominated nonetheless.

The undisputed 160-pound champion defeated late replacement Maricela Cornejo by a shutout decision to retain her titles in front of her home-area fans Saturday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

The official scores were 100-89, 100-90 and 100-90. Boxing Junkie also had it 100-90, 10 rounds to none.

Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) has been working in training camp on getting the only thing missing in her career, knockouts.

She clearly tried to score one against Cornejo (16-6, 6 KOs) from the opening bell, unleashing single bomb and after single bomb in an effort to hurt he overmatched opponent.

And many of them landed to the head of the challenger. The problem for Shields was that Cornejo has a good chin and is clever enough to survive for 10 two-minute, holding, using her feet, whatever it took.

Cornejo didn’t run the entire fight. She actually landed some nice shots here and there. However, she spent the bulk of her energy trying to keep her head attached to her body.

Shields was particularly effective when she pulled back to some degree and relied more on her boxing skills than big punches. However, it still wasn’t enough to stop Cornejo.

The No. 1 female boxer pound-for-pound seemed a bit frustrated afterward but was pleased with another dominating victory.

“I won every round like I knew I could,” she said in the ring afterward. “I pressed for the knockout. … Maricela is just tough. And she has a good right hand herself. She was very smart and sturdy when I started hitting her.

“She knew how to survive. So she did a great job.”

What’s next?

Two fighters Shields has already beaten — undisputed 168-pound champ Franchon Crews Dezurn and Savannah Marshall — are scheduled to meet on July 1 in Manchester, England.

Shields said she plans to be on hand for the fight, the idea being she could face the winner. However, she made one hting clear: The fight won’t take place in the U.K.

“I’m only interested in fighting the best,” she said. “I’ll be looking at that fight. I think I’ll go over to the U.K. and show my face. … Whoever wins, if they want to come here, I’m down for it.”

Claressa Shields vs. Maricela Cornejo: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Claressa Shields vs. Maricela Cornejo: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Claressa Shields defeated late replacement Maricela Cornejo by a shutout decision in a 10-round bout to retain her undisputed 160-pound championship.

The officials scores were 100-89, 100-90 and 100-90. Boxing Junkie also had it 100-90, 10 rounds to none.

Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) tried to score a rare knockout from the beginning, stalking Cornejo (16-6, 6 KOs) and throwing single bomb after single bomb. Many the shots landed but none hurt the durable challenger.

Cornejo managed to land a few shots but spent most of her energy to trying to avoid Shields’ hard, accurate punches.

A full report will follow shortly.

***

Junior middleweight prospect Ardreal Holmes (14-0, 5 KOs) defeated Wendy Touissant (14-2, 6 KOs) by a technical split decision in a cut-shortened bout.

Holmes got off to a strong start only to see Touissant outwork him more and more as the scheduled 10-rounder progressed.

However, in the eighth round, an accidental clash of heads caused a cut on the forehead of Touissant that ultimately prompted the referee to stop the fight at 1:54 of Round 8 and send it to the scorecards.

Two judges scored it Holmes (77-74 and 76-75) while the third had Toussaint winning (77-74). The partial eighth round was included in the scoring.

Toussaint lost a point in the fourth round for punching behind the head.

***

Claressa Shields is scheduled to defend her 160-pound titles against late replacement Maricela Cornejo on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit (DAZN).

The featured bouts on the card begin at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in show.

Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and other featured bouts immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.

Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

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Claressa Shields vs. Maricela Cornejo: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Claressa Shields vs. Maricela Cornejo: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Claressa Shields defeated late replacement Maricela Cornejo by a shutout decision in a 10-round bout to retain her undisputed 160-pound championship.

The officials scores were 100-89, 100-90 and 100-90. Boxing Junkie also had it 100-90, 10 rounds to none.

Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) tried to score a rare knockout from the beginning, stalking Cornejo (16-6, 6 KOs) and throwing single bomb after single bomb. Many the shots landed but none hurt the durable challenger.

Cornejo managed to land a few shots but spent most of her energy to trying to avoid Shields’ hard, accurate punches.

A full report will follow shortly.

***

Junior middleweight prospect Ardreal Holmes (14-0, 5 KOs) defeated Wendy Touissant (14-2, 6 KOs) by a technical split decision in a cut-shortened bout.

Holmes got off to a strong start only to see Touissant outwork him more and more as the scheduled 10-rounder progressed.

However, in the eighth round, an accidental clash of heads caused a cut on the forehead of Touissant that ultimately prompted the referee to stop the fight at 1:54 of Round 8 and send it to the scorecards.

Two judges scored it Holmes (77-74 and 76-75) while the third had Toussaint winning (77-74). The partial eighth round was included in the scoring.

Toussaint lost a point in the fourth round for punching behind the head.

***

Claressa Shields is scheduled to defend her 160-pound titles against late replacement Maricela Cornejo on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit (DAZN).

The featured bouts on the card begin at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in show.

Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and other featured bouts immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.

Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

[lawrence-related id=37596,37593,37536,37527]

Claressa Shields delivering another big night for women’s boxing

Claressa Shields will be delivering another big night for women’s boxing when she defends her titles against Maricela Cornejo on Saturday.

Claressa Shields is the well-paid headliner in a significant boxing show at a major venue on international television. And it seems completely normal.

Yes, women’s boxing is progressing.

“Boxing is changing,” said Shields, who will defend her 160-pound titles against Maricela Cornejo on Saturday in Detroit (DAZN). “To be having this fight here in front of thousands of fans in Detroit, with the GWOAT in the main event, we don’t get too many of these opportunities.

“I’m just happy and excited about this fight. I’m looking forward to putting on a show and showing that I’m the greatest once again.”

The fight will take place at Little Caesars Arena, the 20,000-seat home of the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings. It has never hosted a professional boxing, which arguably makes Saturday’s event historic.

Shields, from Flint, Michigan, about an hour due north, considers it a homecoming. She’s gratified to bring big-time boxing back to a one-time hotbed in the sport.

“People in Detroit are ready to celebrate,” she said. “The city is already celebrating because it’s a big moment for Detroit. … When I got the call about fighting at Little Caesars Arena, it felt like there was a slim chance we’d get to fight here.

“They offered a lot of money to fight again in the U.K., but I wanted to bring my titles here.”

Shields (13-0, 2 KOs) was originally scheduled to fight Hanna Gabriels but Gabriels was removed from the card after testing positive for a banned substance.

Cornejo (16-5, 6 KOs) agreed to step in about a week and a half ago. The 36-year-old, who lives and trains in Los Angeles, has lost decisions in three title challenges, once against 160-pounder Kali Reis and twice to 168-pound champ Franchon Crews Dezurn.

However, Shields, who had expressed interest in facing Cornejo in the past, said the WBO’s No. 1 contender has the credentials to be in a big fight.

“I’m facing a younger, taller and more savvy opponent in Maricela Cornejo than I was in Hanna Gabriels,” Shields said. “I want to thank Maricela for accepting this challenge and coming here. I know that she’s always in shape. It’s gonna be a real throwdown in Motown. …

“I know she said she wants to go out there and dance, but you’re gonna be dancing by yourself because I came to fight.”

Cornejo understands the significance of her opportunity.

“Claressa has done so much for the sport of boxing and everyone in this sport is trying to do our part,” said the challenger, who had been training for another fight when she got the call.

“Our responsibility is just to make a difference in the sport, and that’s what we’re trying to do. She needs a good dance partner to do that. When they called, I said I’m ready to dance.

“Being an underdog doesn’t affect me at all. I’m gonna go put some money on myself. I knew I’d be the underdog. She’s got the titles, so I know what I have to do.”

The only guaranteed winners, it seems, are women’s boxing and Detroit.

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