Claressa shields' former rival, Franchon Crews-Dezurn, rejected on American idol-now on the verge of glory and still has a musical dream  Boxing News
"You can't make it as a fighter and a singer," Franchon Crews-Dezurn once said of a contestant on American Idol, a bashing she used as fuel.
She still harbors a grudge against the man who said it.
“I need you to say hi to Simon Cowell,” Crews-Dezurns asks Sky Sports, noticing the English accent and making assumptions. “Contact him! »
She does a half-decent imitation of Cowell to remember his response to her performance: "'Are you a boxer?'
“I said yes.
"Well, you can't be good at everything!"
"I told him that if I didn't win American Idol, I would win the middleweight championship of the world.
"I'm not middleweight, I'm super middleweight champion, and soon to be undisputed!"
“So I would like to have a quick chat with him.
“I knew I was pretty good on the inside. But he said, 'Don't do it'.
“It started a fire. »
Simon Cowell's judgments have often been questionable, Crews-Dezurn recalls. "It's cool," she rolls her eyes, "I take it in my stride, it's fine." »
Music and boxing intertwined when one inadvertently led to another.
“My goal was to become a world famous singer, but I was told to lose weight,” she says.
“I was told I could lose five pounds by boxing.
“So my friend took me to a gym. I fought, I broke my lip and I never left! »
A bloody lip probably won't impress American Idol panelists, it is suggested, but Crews-Dezurn has already blazed her own trail in two industries as a woman leading the way.
“Certainly polar opposites, singing and boxing,” she says.
“Singing, like boxing, is therapy for me. I still have aspirations for that.
“I have a few songs I’m working on.
“Singing was my first love. It's just me. That's how I express myself when I'm not hitting people. »
Crews-Dezurn owns the WBC and WBO super middleweight championship and will face IBF and WBA titleholder Elin Cederroos to crown the division's first undisputed men's or women's champion.
"I would love to fight Franchon for any belts at 160lbs or 168lbs," Claressa told Sky Sports Shields.
Shields beat Crews-Dezurn in 2016 in the women's pro debut, but they retain a close relationship — "we'll fight and then go out to dinner afterwards," says Crews-Dezurn.
Shields adds, "He's someone who comes into the ring, not for a paycheck, but to win. She holds power and possesses skills.
"The fight that could change women's boxing as a whole would be Shields vs Crews 2.
"To fight again after all these years is the fight where people would say 'wow' like Marvin Hagler, 'Sugar' Ray Leonard or Roberto Duran.
“She is the only woman who can take me to a [higher] level.
“I would love to fight her for 12 three-minute rounds. We would show the world that women can go.
“He’s a tough opponent. She doesn't take no for an answer no matter what you hit her with. And I'm the same. »
Shields was a two-time Olympic gold medallist, but Crews-Dezurn was also a decorated amateur – in hindsight, it was a remarkable risk taken by both fighters on their pro debuts.
“‘Crazy’ is my middle name,” says Crews-Dezurn. “I am a risk taker.
“After our fight, you started seeing incredibly competitive female fights. Real fights.
“We didn’t invent the wheel, but we definitely refined it. It changed my life.
“She had to go through me to become what she is. I have always been the best dog to beat.
“For true fans who respect boxing, this is the greatest female fight. »
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How would the rematch go?
"She looks like she's kicking my ass, I say I'm kicking her ass!" »
Making history would be deeply personal for Crews-Dezurn, who lost her mother five years ago.
“It would mean a lot to my family,” she says. “Becoming undisputed would make everything I went through with her [worthwhile]. She fought to live and I fight to win.
“I have imagined it before so when it happens I want to experience it organically. »
Her mother, however, was not always thrilled that her daughter would be a boxer.
But Crews-Dezurns clarifies: “I have always been a fighter, always a tomboy.
"My mother was worried that my face would be damaged, but I said to her, "I'm going to hit them a lot more than they hit me! »
“She is not a fan of violence. She only came to two of my fights as an amateur. She hated violence but maintained that boxing was a tool to keep my life on track.
“I experienced discipline and world travel, my mother loved the way boxing shaped me as a person.
“So she didn’t like violence but she liked the benefits of boxing. »
It was his mother who instilled in him the desire to “be excellent at everything” and to challenge limits.
Crews-Dezurn cites other inspirations like Queen Latifah, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and Cher – “they didn’t let anyone put them in a box”.
She says of her in-ring nickname, “The Heavy Hitting Diva isn’t a gimmick, it’s really who I am. The older I get, the more I get to know myself as a woman.
“Yes, I love dressing up. I like all kinds of things.
“But I'm also a real fighter, I'm really about this life. I train hard, I hit hard, I respect the sport.
“Some girls say, ‘I’m a model but I want to box’ – but they’re not really about this life. I paid my dues. »
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Crews-Dezurn went two miserable weeks without their world super middleweight titles, assuming they lost in a fight against Alejandra Jimenez, the former heavyweight champion.
Then Jimenez failed a drug test, the belts were returned to their rightful owner, and the result was overturned, but it was a harrowing experience for Crews-Dezurn.
She says, "I'm not comfortable with the situation in women's boxing.
“He is growing. I am building my legacy and whatever mark I leave will hopefully move women's boxing forward.
“It will only get better. We will only be paid more. »
The dream fight with Shields, his friend and rival, may come one day but, more importantly, it is Crews-Dezurn's first love.
She has a new song coming out.
“I had to prioritize training but I hit the studio! »
Here's one of his songs called "Limited Time" - Simon Cowell didn't believe in it, but Crews-Dezurn proves people wrong, one after the other.
Sky Sports Boxing Schedule
Sunday January 30 at TulsaRobson Conceicao vs Xavier Martinez – WBC super featherweight title eliminatorNico Ali Walsh
Saturday February 5 in CardiffChris Eubank Jr v Liam WilliamsClaressa Shields v Ema Kozin – IBF, WBA and WBC middleweight titles
Saturday February 19 in ManchesterAmir Khan v Kell BrookNatasha Jonas v Ewa Piatkowska – WBO super welterweight titleThe professional debut of Frazer Clarke
Saturday February 26 in GlasgowJosh Taylor v Jack Catterall – undisputed welterweight titlesNick Campbell v Jay McFarlane – Scottish heavyweight title
Saturday March 5 at FresnoJosé Ramirez against José Pedraza
Sunday, March 20 in New YorkEdgar Berlanga against Steve RollsKeyshawn DavisAlexandre Zayas
