Franchon Crews-Dezurn Ready to Defend Her Title
For most fighters in the sport of boxing, their primary focal point is on becoming a world champion. It’s the goal that they fixate on from childhood, and the central motivation that pushes them through each grueling camp. While obtaining the belt is no walk in the park, retaining the belt is often a much more arduous task.
And this is what Franchon Crews-Dezurn (5-1, 2 KO’s) is facing at the moment. This Saturday, September 14, Crews-Dezurn will make the first WBC world super middleweight title defense against Alejandra “La Tigre” Jimenez (12-0-1, 9 KO’s). They will fight at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, where it will air live on the DAZN app.
When Crews-Dezurn collides with Jimenez it’ll be almost a year to the day that she won the title in the first place. Back on September 13, 2018 Dezurn beat Maricela Cornejo by way of Majority Decision to claim the then-vacant strap. Earlier this year, Dezurn dropped down to middleweight to face, and beat Kayla Williams via TKO. Her Saturday bout with Jimenez will stand as only her second professional bout in 2019.
When Crews-Dezurn steps into the ring, she will be facing a capable and very confident foe. In fact, Jimenez will be looking to become a two-division champion. She already won the WBC title at heavyweight back on March 18, 2016.
The Mexican born Jimenez is undefeated and totes an impressive knockout percentage. Five of her last seven bouts have ended in stoppages. Along with impressive punching power, Jimenez will hope to enjoy a favorable size advantage. Although this bout is being contested at super middleweight, La Tigre has fought near exclusively in the heavyweight division. Only her last two bouts have been at super middleweight. Prior to that, aside from her first two professional bouts, every other fight that Jimenez has fought has been as a heavyweight.
We will have to wait and see if this would-be size advantage plays a favorable role for Jimenez. Yet, let Franchon Crews-Dezurn tell it, it’ll just be another case of ‘the bigger they are, the harder they fall!’ Only time will tell how this ends, but it should be fun while it lasts!
“I look forward to my first WBC title defense with Golden Boy on Sept 14, a boxing holiday. I’ll have the opportunity to once again prove myself as a fearless champion who has integrity and passion for the sport of boxing. I know Los Angeles has a deep Mexican culture in boxing that I respect, and a lot of people may root against me, but know my goal is to win while continuing to raise the profile for all female boxers. This is my dream. I’ve dedicated my teen years and entire adult life for this, and I won’t take it for granted.” ~Franchon Crews-Dezurn, WBC super-middleweight champion
By: Bakari Simpson
