Boxing Live: Franchon Crews-Dezurn accused Savannah Marshall of sloth, and anticipation for Saturday’s undisputed world title battle was magnificently heightened when the duo volleyed insults at a furious press conference in Manchester.
Marshall enters the ring for the first time since losing to Claressa Shields in October, hoping to depose her American opponent of all four super-middleweight crowns.
Shields’ name has been a significant element in the build-up to the bout, and Crews-Dezurn, who lost to Shields in her maiden professional fight in 2019, maintained that trend by criticising Marshall for her performance in that fall grudge battle.
“At the end of July 1st, it will be another icing on another cake,” Crews-Dezurn remarked. “I like the ‘heavy metal’ reference.”
“I came not to have fun or make new friends; I came to kick her a**.
“I’m not like her; she lost because she is undervalued; that’s what happens when you expect everything to be handed to you.
“You became complacent and allowed someone to come into your town, beat you, dog-walk you, and steal something that was yours.” That is entirely your problem, not mine.
Marshall sprung into life, dismissing her opponent’s accusations and emphasising the 36-year-old’s lack of engagement since 2020.
“I didn’t get complacent at all,” Marshall remarked. “You’re not Claressa; you’re not going to dog-walk me at all.
“The truth is, I don’t have to say anything because I’m a better fighter than you.
“The difference between me and you is that you sit around on your lazy a** looking for opportunities, which is why you’ve only boxed twice in two years.
“You didn’t want to entertain me, you didn’t want to know when I was at super-middle, so I moved up to light-heavy where there was a title shot for me that fell through. I shifted to the centre to box Hannah Rankin.
“The same thing happened with Shadesia Green; she sat as your mandatory for over a year and you didn’t want to know.”
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