Savannah Marshall vs Franchon Crews-Dezurn: Fight verdict and best bets
- Matty Briggs
- 29 June 2023
Savannah Marshall will get the chance to become an undisputed world champion again on Saturday when she faces unconventional American Franchon Crews-Dezurn.
Date, start time and venue
Marshall will attempt to become the undisputed super middleweight champion against Crews-Dezurn on Saturday, July 1 at the Manchester Arena across 10x two minute rounds.
The main card is scheduled to begin at 7pm, with ring walks for the main event due at approximately 10pm, live on Sky Sports.
Boxxer undercard
Natasha Jonas vs Kandi Wyatt for IBF welterweight world title
Zak Chelli vs Mark Jeffers for vacant commonwealth silver super-middleweight championship
Ben Whittaker vs Vladimir Belujsky
Callum Simpson vs Boris Crighton
April Hunter vs Kirstie Bavington
Suggested bets
Franchon Crews-Dezurn by Decision or Technical Decision 11/2
Marshall vs Crews-Dezurn fight verdict
Savannah Marshall (12-1, 10 KO's) will step up to super middleweight to fight 36-year-old American Franchon Crews-Dezurn in Manchester this weekend.
Eight months after her loss to Claressa Shields, Marshall will get back into the ring to try and restore her status.
Crews-Dezurn's WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF world super middleweight championships are all on the line and Marshall knows she is in for a battle against a novice-like opponent.
The American, who like Shields, is considerably shorter than the Brit, is unconventional to say the least, but she is tough and Marshall admits she's heading for a war.
Marshall was unbeaten until she suffered a decision loss to Shields last year, a result that saw the Briton lose her WBO middleweight title as Shields became undisputed in the division.
Crews-Dezurn (8-1, 2 KO's) also has one defeat on her record - against Shields in 2016. That is too long ago to take anything of any note from as is Dezurn's previous meeting with Shields.
Previous meeting
It was long before the American became the undisputed super middleweight world champion and before Marshall had won and lost the WBO middleweight title as a professional.
The pair boxed at 2011 Olympic Test Event at the ExCel Arena in London and it looked like a routine victory for Marshall, who won 14-12.
Crews-Dezurn did not see it that way though:. "I'm bitter about the decision," she told Sky Sports.
"Savannah did what she can do, which was her best and she can't control the people pushing the button. But if you feel like you can do what you think you did then, do it again now. Do it. I know in my heart I won that fight."
That will have little bearing on Saturday night when Crews-Dezurn is expected to take the centre of the ring and come on to the Brit.
The American from Virginia Beach outpointed the tough Elin Cederroos in April 2022 to become undisputed champion.
The hard-hitting Crews-Dezurn threw punches from low and unconventional angles against Cederroos, but she was a worthy unanimous points winner.
Her clubbing right hand was a feature of the fight with Cederroos bloodied as early as round three. The durable Swede was unbeaten before facing Crews-Dezurn, but she could not keep a brawler like Crews-Dezurn off.
Marshall may have a similar issue, but the American's inactivity might just take her edge away. She will also need to stand taller when trying to land her bombs due to Marshall's three-inch height advantage.
The 32-year-old Marshall will have to try and box Crews-Dezurn and getting dragged into a slugfest early on will not be good for the Hartlepool fighter. She will at some stage have to stand and fight fire with fire, but if she can get some slick work done in the early rounds she will hope to build up a lead.
But there is an air of desperation about the Brit, who will be left at a crossroads if she is beaten again.
"If I can't mix it at this level, what good am I in boxing?" Marshall told Sky Sports. "I have hard camps, I have hard sparring, how can I go from being a world champion to boxing eight rounders again, to boxing foreigners that have just been brought in for a loss?
"I'm not about that. I want to be a champion again."
Marshall's defeat to Shields
Marshall's defeat to Shields was a classic with the American deservedly winning 96-94, 97-93 and 97-93 on the cards.
Shields started like a house on fire in round one and Crews-Dezurn could follow suit in a fight which could be very similar to that O2 Arena match-up.
Marshall has been lifting heavier weights and punching harder in this camp, but it will be her technical skills which she will need.
Crews-Dezurn (7/2) is not as technically gifted as Shields, but she's arguably more dangerous and Marshall will have to get her footwork right.
Marshall is the 1/4 favourite, but she might just find another American too strong once again and it could be another heart-breaking points defeat on the cards.
