Tag Archives: Crews

Posted on 02/21/2020

By: Hans Themistode

The cries of innocence from Alejandra Jimenez will no longer be heard. The now former, Super Middleweight champion has begged and pleaded with the public to believe that her post fight drug test against Franchon Crews-Dezurn, which came back positive for a banned substance, was nothing more than a mistake. 

When the two women met back at the Alamodome, in San Antonio Texas, they gave the crowd an absolute show. Crews-Dezurn had dreams of becoming a unified champion at the weight class, but she first needed to get past Jimenez. That quickly turned into a task too difficult for Crews-Dezurn to handle. 

Jimenez walked through everything that Crews-Dezurn threw her way. No matter if it was a left hook, right hook or a baseball bat. Jimenez simply marched forward and would not be denied. 

Following a close but unanimous decision loss, the former champ was incredulous that her opponent was playing everything by the book.

“It was different,” said Dezurn on Boxing Insider Radio. “I’ve fought around the world, remember I used to fight at Light Heavyweight as well. I’ve sparred men but it was different. Something was different that’s all I can say. I hit like a Heavyweight, I’ve done testing with USA boxing and I hit as hard as a man but some of the punches she was taking wasn’t normal.”

Some may have called it sour grapes on the former champions part. But now however, it looks as though she was right all along. 

Jimenez hardly had enough time to shine off her newly won title before she was busted for an adverse finding in her sample “A” drug test. 

Like every other fighter that’s been caught cheating, Jimenez profusely claimed that there must be some sort of mistake.

“I trust the due process of investigation carried out by the World Boxing Council in which I am sure it will be resolved in my favor.” 

Well, the results are in and unlike Jimenez predicted, things did not go in her favor. 

The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) revealed that not only was the “A” sample of Jimenez positive for a banned substance, but so was her “B” sample.

At this point in time, Jimenez simply has no excuses left. The win that she picked up over Crews-Dezurn has already been voided and her championship title has been taken away as well.

The one question that is left unanswered is, what happens to Crews-Dezurn? Simply put, she could soon be returned to her championship status. 

“I believe it could very well probably be that the belt will be returned to former champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn,” said WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman.

It may have left a horrible taste in the mouth of Crews-Dezurn but if she truly is awarded her titles back, then that will go a long way in making things right again.

Posted on 08/21/2018

Boxing fans are in for quite a weekend next month as “the Divas” go head to head for a world title bout televised on ESPN September 13th just days before the long anticipated GGG Canelo rematch.

It’s a ten round battle of East Coast versus West Coast as Franchon “The Heavy Hitting Diva” Crews-Dezurn (3-1) faces Maricela “La Diva” Cornejo (12-2, 5 KOs) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for the interim WBC Female Super Middleweight Title.

Not shy of the spotlight, former American Idol contestant and two time World Medalist Crews-Dezurn is ready to show the world what women’s boxing has been missing. Her only loss as a pro was to two time Olympic gold medalist and undefeated professional boxer Claressa Shields (6-0) and she’s on a mission to avenge that loss. She became a free agent earlier this year and remains confident her boxing will do the talking for her.

According to Crews-Dezurn, we can look forward to seeing “two divas in the ring but the difference is that one is heavy hitting and the other isn’t.”

Fans can follow Crews-Dezurn on Instagram and Twitter at @TheHHDiva.

Franchon Crews-Dezurn is a 15x National champion, 5x Pan Am Champion and two time World Medalist (both 2012 and 2016). She’s married to professional boxer Glenn Dezurn, Jr. (9-2-1, 6 KOs) with whom she resides in Baltimore, MD. In 2011, Crews-Dezurn made history by becoming the first of three women in the United States to qualify and compete in the debut of women’s boxing at the Pan American Games. She is currently a student and also an entrepreneur, designing fight night clothing under her own brand, DEZEARNED.

Posted on 07/17/2018

By: Bryant Romero

Super middleweight contender Franchon Crews Dezurn is still looking to duplicate the success in the professional ranks like she had as an amateur. Crews was a highly decorated amateur, an 8 time national champion, a 4 time national golden gloves champion, plus many other accolades in the amateur ranks. The 31-year-old originally from Virginia, now living and fighting out of Baltimore recently met with boxinginsider to talk about her boxing career, how the transition to the pro game has been, the feeling she had when she lost out on the Olympics despite her amateur success, and her rivalry with Clarissa Shields.

“I’m originally from Virginia and I moved to Baltimore around 2001 then I discovered boxing in 2005 on the fly,” Crews said.

Photo Credit: Franchon Crews Dezurn Twitter Account

Franchon originally had aspirations to be a singer and songwriter, but she was aware that image would be an important factor in accomplishing that dream. So she turned to boxing to lose some weight, but would soon discover she was always a fighter at heart.

“With my aspirations to be a singer you had to look a certain part, so I was interested in losing weight,” Franchon told me. “I wasn’t like obese or anything but I wasn’t typical pop star material back then.

“My mentor at the time told me ‘you know maybe you should lose a little weight,’ and I was in the studio one time and two gentleman who also come to the studio they told me about how you could lose 5 pounds in a day at the boxing gym.

“And that sounded very appealing to me and they took me to a gym and I’ve been stuck ever since,” she said.

From there she would a spark a very successful amateur career and was considered one of the faces in American’s women’s boxing. However, she would lose out on the Olympics when she was upset by a younger boxing prodigy in Clarissa Shields at the first U.S. Olympic Women’s boxing trials. Franchon was devastated by the defeat, but it did not break her.

“It put a damper on me, it bent me out of shape, but it didn’t break me,” Franchon said. “I had to dig down deep and find out who I was with or without boxing.

“It was really devastating because you work really hard and to be robbed of the opportunity to even go to the Olympics, it was devastating but it made me who I am. It definitely thickened by skin,” she said.

Franchon would later get a chance avenging her amateur defeat to Shields into the professional ranks when she stepped in on short notice to take on Shields in her pro debut. Franchon would lose again to Shields by decision and perhaps it wasn’t the wisest of moves to step in on short notice against Shields, but she’s a risk taker and still believes that one day she will defeat Shields.

“I live life on a limb. I’m a risk taker. I want to beat her, I’m going to beat her,” Franchon told me. “But at the time I wasn’t in any shape to be taking that kind of fight. But I know her very well and I know myself and no other girls would step up.

“I just stepped up and I know what I can do, I believe in myself. I really want a rematch,” Franchon said.

Franchon would go on to win her next three bouts in dominate fashion, but had a brief retirement from the sport just last December as she would grow tired of the politics of the sport. She would later sign with Salita promotions and had a good opportunity fighting on a shobox undercard. However, her stint with Salita promotions was short lived and is now a free agent.

“Right now I’m keeping my options open and I know in November I’ll possibly be fighting. I would love to fight before then, but right now I’m focusing on me and getting my conditioning together,” Franchon said.

“Since I been a pro I haven’t had an opportunity to be in the best shape ever. I’m just taking a time out and getting my business together, so I can jump back out there,” she said.

Franchon is itching to get back in the ring as she still wants to accomplish a lot in this sport that includes beating the best of the best around her weight class, to compete on the same card as her husband who is also a professional fighter, and to continue the fight to advance women’s boxing.

“I want to beat the best of best whether it’s a Clarissa or a Hammer whoever claims to be the best, I would love to fight them and beat them,” Franchon told me. “I want to be a world champ. I want to help advance women’s boxing; I want to be a part of that fight.

“Tell these girls to stop babysitting belts. I’m down to fight; I want to fight to become world champ, traveling the world and get my shot on TV. Lastly, I want to fight on a card with my husband in the future,” she said.