Franchon Crews-Dezurn Reinstated as WBC Super Middleweight Women’s World Champion
When Franchon Crews-Dezurn (6-1, 2 KOs) lost WBC/WBO women’s World Super Middleweight titles to Alejandra Jimenez (12-0-1, 9 KOs) on January 10, 2020, it came as a surprise to many. However, the fight was soon followed by controversy.
News broke on January 24, 2020 that Jimenez tested positive for a banned substance according to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). After a thorough investigation, On June 4, the World Boxing Council (WBC) announced that they are reinstating Franchon Crews-Dezurn as the WBC World Women’s Super Middleweight champion. The WBC released the following statement via their website detailing the process of events that led to their decision:
STATUS OF THE WBC WOMEN SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
Franchon Crews Dezurn confirmed as WBC Champion
On January 10 2020 Alejandra Jimenez defeated Franchon Cruz Dezurn by split decision conquering The WBC super middleweight championship.
On January 24, 2020, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association notified the WBC that the contents of a random, out-of-competition urine sample that VADA collected from Alejandra Jimenez on January 10, 2020, as part of the WBC Clean Boxing Program, yielded an adverse finding for Stanozolol. On February 10, 2020, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (“TDLR”) suspended Alejandra Jimenez for 90 days and declared the bout a “ No Decision.”
On January 27, 2020, the WBC Board of Governors issued an order provisionally suspending its recognition of Ms. Jimenez as WBC Super Middleweight World Champion.
The WBC administered a thorough process in which Ms. Jimenez and her team had absolute opportunity to present their side of the matter and considered evidence presented by Ms. Jimenez and a variety of members from her team, The WBC met in person with Jimenez in a hearing and then conducted video conference meetings in a variety of occasions. The complete file was studied and analyzed by five independent scientists.
The WBC considered as extenuating circumstances the facts that Ms. Jimenez: (1) has never tested positive for any banned substance in any tests she has undergone during her boxing career; (2) offered her full cooperation with the WBC’s inquiry; (3) consistently denied having ingested any substance to enhance her performance; (4) has been a strong, public advocate of PED testing, and specifically of the WBC CBP; (5) tested negative in 4 out of competition tests, including one just one day after the positive result and was negative in the after the fight testing and (5) subjected herself voluntarily to an Adjudication Agreement with the WBC.
Ms. Jimenez agreement with the WBC is not an admission that she indeed purposely ingested a banned substance to improve her performance. Instead, in the Adjudication Agreement, Ms. Jimenez does not dispute the WBC CBP finding as revealed by the anti-doping test.
As part of the WBC/Jimenez Adjudication Agreement, Ms. Jimenez agreed to the following:
a. A suspension of nine (9) months from WBC activity starting on the date of the collection of the sample that yielded the adverse finding, until on October 10, 2020.
b. “Probation Status” for one (1) year from the end of the suspension set forth above, or until October 10, 2021.
c. Additional random anti-doping tests under the WBC CBP through the duration of her Probation Status. The timing and frequency of the additional tests shall be at the WBC CBP’s sole discretion.
d. In the event of any adverse finding, or any other situation that the WBC considers reasonable proof that Alejandra Jimenez has ingested any WBC CBP-banned substance during her Probation Status period, the WBC shall have the right to suspend Alejandra Jimenez indefinitely and impose any additional penalties it deems appropriate.
e. Considering the current global economic crisis, The WBC will not impose a monetary fine to Ms. Jimenez.
f. As a result of the Adjudication Agreement, the WBC declared the result of the Franchon-Crews v. Jimenez bout a “no-contest” thus reinstating its recognition of Franchon Crews Dezurn as the WBC World Super Middleweight Female World Champion
The ruling by the WBC comes after a March 18 ruling by the WBO to strip Jimenez and reinstate Crews-Dezurn as WBO Women’s World champion at 168 pounds.
This has to come as sweet validation for the 32-year-old, who felt from the jump something was awry and that she should be reinstated as champion. To the woman known as the “Hard-Hitting Diva”, a wrong has been righted.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
