Savannah Marshall vs Crews-Dezurn LIVE: Result as Briton claims undisputed titles with decision win

A super-middleweight clash between Callum Simpson and Boris Crighton is due to kick off the main card very shortly.

Earlier this evening, April Hunter was a decision winner against Kirstie Bavington.

It marked a first victory of the night for coach Peter Fury, who also trains Marshall...

The main card should begin any moment now! Another big night in women’s boxing – in boxing full stop, in fact.

One of the key fighters to keep an eye on this evening is Ben Whittaker, who continues his budding pro career, which was preceded by his Olympic silver-medal win for Team GB at Tokyo 2020 (2021).

Here’s a snippet from The Independent’s exclusive interview with the 26-year-old this week:

If you were to walk a mile in Ben Whittaker’s shoes, there would be a very specific stretch of terrain that you would want to tread. The shoes would be comfortable, and although the path would be treacherous, the learnings would be enlightening.

“I got these brand new Reebok boots,” the 26-year-old recalls. “You couldn’t get them really, they were like limited edition – the ones that Amir Khan and Floyd Mayweather wore. I managed to source a pair, so I was like, ‘Ooo, nobody’s got these, let’s go to the gym and beat somebody up.’ So, I went and sparred this kid... and he completely battered me.”

There is a colloquialism, ‘All the gear, no idea,’ but it was at this moment that Whittaker was struck by the most important idea he had ever encountered.

“My nose was bleeding, I was crying a little bit as well,” he says. “I looked over at my dad, and he just shook his head, like: ‘What the hell are you doing?’ We drove home in complete silence, awkwardness. Ever since I felt that embarrassment, it kind of flipped the switch, like I never wanted to feel that again.”

Full interview:

In the aftermath of Marshall’s last fight – a decision loss to Claressa Shields – promoter Ben Shalom told The Independent: “Ticketmaster reported 35 per cent of the sales were female, as opposed to less than 5 per cent on a normal men’s boxing event. It was a better crowd, it seemed more inclusive, it seemed like the sport had taken a step forward.”

The entire card comprised female-only fights, and its 2 million viewers made it the most-watched women’s sporting event in Sky Sports history

“Representation is everything,” Shields told The Independent at the time. “If I had a Claressa Shields growing up, of course I would have been better. I would know the game and wouldn’t have to work as hard. I’m creating a blueprint for women on how to become a world champion, how to captivate a crowd, but God chose me to be as great as I can; I am the greatest woman of all time.”

More from Shields and Shalom here:

Marshall and Crews-Dezurn traded barbs at a heated press conference on Thursday, two days before their undisputed-title fight in Manchester.

Marshall will look to bounce back from the first loss of her professional career – a points defeat by Claressa Shields – as she bids to take Crews-Dezurn’s super-middleweight belts at the AO Arena.

For Marshall, it is a second straight shot at undisputed status, following her October clash with Shields, who added the Briton’s WBO middleweight title to her collection in the division.

Crews-Dezurn said at Thursday’s press conference: “Unfortunately she got a defeat because she underestimated, that’s what happens when you think everything is going to be given to you. You let somebody come into your town, beat you, dog-walk you, you let somebody come and take something that was yours because you got complacent.”

Marshall hit back: “I didn’t get complacent at all. You’re nothing like Claressa, you won’t dog-walk me at all. The reality of it is: I don’t have to say anything. I’m a better fighter than you. The difference between me and you is you sit about on your lazy a** waiting for opportunities, this was why you’ve boxed twice in two years.”

More here...

Here is tonight’s fight card in full (subject to late changes):

Franchon Crews-Dezurn (C) vs Savannah Marshall (WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF women’s super-middleweight titles)

Natasha Jonas vs Kandi Wyatt (vacant IBF women’s welterweight title)

Zak Chelli vs Mark Jeffers (super-middleweight)

Ben Whittaker vs Vladimir Belujsky (light-heavyweight)

April Hunter vs Kirstie Bavington (women’s super-welterweight)

Callum Simpson vs Boris Crighton (super-middleweight)

William Howe vs Jake Darnell (heavyweight)

Tonight’s event takes place at the AO Arena in Manchester.

The main card is scheduled to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET).

Ring walks for the main event are then due at approximately 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET).

More here:

In the UK, tonight’s fights will air live on Sky Sports and on the broadcaster’s website and Sky Go app.

In the US, ESPN+ will air the fights live.

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Savannah Marshall and Franchon Crews-Dezurn go head to head in Manchester tonight, with the latter’s undisputed super-middleweight titles on the line.

Marshall is aiming to bounce back from the first loss of her professional career, a points defeat by Claressa Shields in October, and to regain her status as a world champion. The Briton, 32, lost the WBO middleweight title in her clash with Shields, who became undisputed in the division by outpointing Marshall. Now, however, the Hartlepool fighter has another shot at becoming an undisputed champion herself, as she moves up a weight class.

Like Marshall, Crews-Dezurn suffered the only loss of her pro career when she squared off with Shields, but that was back in 2016, in Crews-Dezurn’s pro debut. Since then, the American has won eight straight fights, most recently beating Elin Cederroos on points in April 2022. The 36-year-old, despite her sporadic bouts in recent years, took exception to Marshall’s claim this week that she is ‘lazy’, as the opponents took part in a heated press conference.

Follow live updates from the main-event fight, and its undercard, right here.