Claressa Shields retained her undisputed women’s heavyweight championship on Sunday night, shutting out Franchon Crews-Dezurn over 10 rounds by unanimous decision at Little Caesars Arena. All three judges scored the bout 100-90 for Shields, who improved to 18-0 (3 KOs) in the first defense of her heavyweight belts.

The rematch came nearly a decade after the two fighters made their professional debuts against each other on the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev undercard in Las Vegas in November 2016. Shields won that night as well, and has now beaten Crews-Dezurn in every professional and amateur meeting between the two.

An estimated 18,000 fans packed Little Caesars Arena for the Salita Promotions card, which aired on DAZN beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Prelims streamed on Zeus Network starting at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Shields Controls the Action From Start to Finish

The buildup to the fight was marked by a chaotic weigh-in brawl on Saturday that left Crews-Dezurn with a rolled ankle, briefly putting the bout in jeopardy. Medical clearance was granted and the fight proceeded as scheduled.

From the opening bell, Crews-Dezurn came forward aggressively, looking to make the fight a close-range war. The exchanges were grueling early, but Shields’ speed and accuracy proved to be the difference throughout. As the rounds wore on, Crews-Dezurn’s movement slowed and she began planting herself in the center of the ring, allowing Shields to pick her apart with combinations and body work.

There were no knockdowns in the contest. Shields controlled the pace and distance for the majority of the fight, using her jab and footwork to create angles while landing cleaner, more effective shots. By the later rounds, Crews-Dezurn was visibly fatigued and resorted to clinching.

After the final bell, the two fighters exchanged words before ultimately embracing.

“I felt like I had to take my time,” Shields said in her post-fight interview on DAZN. “Franchon hits hard, she’s tough, and you have to be tricky with her.”

Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who has won world championships in five weight classes, said she sees multiple options for her next fight. She mentioned a potential showdown with Mikaela Mayer, who was working the DAZN broadcast, as well as a possible matchup with WBC super middleweight champion Shadasia Green. Shields also floated the idea of a third fight with Crews-Dezurn at 168 pounds, noting that Crews-Dezurn still holds belts at super middleweight.

Crews-Dezurn (10-3, 2 KOs) moved up from super middleweight for the fight, where she holds the WBA and WBC titles. Despite the wide scorecards, she showed heart and determination throughout.

Terence Crawford was spotted backstage with Shields ahead of her ring walk.

George Collapses Between Rounds in Frightening Co-Feature Incident

The co-main event between light heavyweight prospect Atif Oberlton (15-0, 13 KOs) and Joseph George (13-2, 8 KOs) ended in alarming fashion. George collapsed off his stool between the first and second rounds, apparently as the result of a delayed reaction to an accidental clash of heads during the opening round.

Medical personnel rushed into the ring as George lay on the canvas. He was eventually placed on a stretcher and wheeled out of the arena. The fight was waved off and ruled a first-round TKO victory for Oberlton.

“I know I was being defensively responsible. If he fell in and a head butt happened, I just know I avoided the shot,” Oberlton told DAZN’s Chris Mannix. “I’m glad he got on his feet, and he’s OK.”

Oberlton, a 27-year-old Philadelphia native fighting under the Salita Promotions banner, entered the bout as a significant favorite. The fight had been relatively uneventful through three minutes, with Oberlton working behind a varied jab while George tried to close distance.

Perkins Upsets Kenneally for WBA Light Heavyweight Title

Danielle Perkins (6-1, 3 KOs) pulled off the upset of the night, stopping previously unbeaten WBA women’s light heavyweight champion Che Kenneally (5-1, 2 KOs) by knockout at 1:45 of the sixth round to claim the title.

The Houston-based Brooklyn native used a patient, pressure-based approach to set up her offense before finding the finishing shot in the sixth.

“I wanted her to come into my space, and then let it fly,” Perkins told Chris Mannix after the fight. “Press, press, press. Half-step, and see what she does.”

Taylor Stops Evans in Main Card Opener

Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor (11-0, 7 KOs) remained unbeaten with a fifth-round TKO of Toledo’s James Evans (9-2-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round bout. The stoppage came at the 0:53 mark of the round.

Prelim Results (Zeus Network)

WBA Interim Women’s Super Lightweight Championship (10 rounds): Edith Soledad Matthysse (21-16-1, 3 KOs) def. Samantha Worthington (12-1, 7 KOs) by RTD (end of Round 8). Matthysse, a former unified featherweight champion from Argentina, captured the interim title after Worthington did not come out for the ninth round.

Heavyweight (4 rounds): Sardius Simmons (6-0, 3 KOs) def. Dylan Potter (2-3-1) by unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36).

Welterweight (6 rounds): Lance Smith def. Jorge Omar Vizcarrondo Pacheco by TKO (Round 3).

Strawweight (6 rounds): Jasmine Hampton def. Agustina Solange Vazquez by TKO (Round 5).

Lightweight (8 rounds): Savannah Tini def. Vaida Masiokaite by unanimous decision (79-73, 78-74, 78-74).

Welterweight (4 rounds): Jaquan McElroy def. Andre Johnson by unanimous decision (40-36, 39-37, 39-37).

Featherweight (8 rounds): Shannel Butler (7-0, 3 KOs) def. Danila Ramos (14-5, 1 KO) by unanimous decision (80-72, 80-72, 79-73).