Shields Defends Undisputed Heavyweight Title in Rematch

Claressa Shields will defend her undisputed women's heavyweight championship against Franchon Crews-Dezurn in a long-awaited rematch on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, marking nearly a decade since their professional debuts collided on the same card.

The bout, scheduled for 10 rounds and streaming live on DAZN at 7 p.m. ET, pits Shields, who holds a 17-0 record with three knockouts, against Crews-Dezurn, who stands at 10-2 with two knockouts. Shields, 30, enters as the favorite after unifying all four major belts in the division last year. Crews-Dezurn, also around 30, steps up from super middleweight, where she holds unified titles, though those are not at stake here. The fighters first met on November 19, 2016, on the undercard of Andre Ward's victory over Sergey Kovalev, with Shields earning a unanimous decision over four rounds in both of their pro debuts.

Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from nearby Flint, Michigan, has built her career on rapid ascent through multiple weight classes, amassing 19 world titles across divisions. She views the rematch as a chance to settle unfinished business. "In my first fight with Franchon I won a unanimous decision, but...