By: Hans Themistode
Franchon Crews-Dezurn can officially call herself a champion once again.
The WBO sanctioning body has recently stripped Alejandra Jimenez of the 168 pound title and has handed the belt back to Crews-Dezurn.
Originally, the two fought back on January 11th, of this year. Both ladies gave the crowd at the Alamodome, in San Antonio Texas an absolute show.
Jimenez was supposed to be nothing more than a speed bump on the road to undisputed for Crews-Dezurn. But she turned out to be more of a roadblock.
Jimenez, a former Heavyweight titlist, found a way to shrink her once 200 plus pound body to the 168 pound limit and out box Crews-Dezurn on the night.
In a contest where Crews-Dezurn lost both her titles and the hair on her head, the former champ was left devastated. At this point, it was one step forward and ten steps back as she was forced to go back to the drawing board.
With the WBC and WBO titles now safely around the waist of Jimenez, women’s boxing seemed to be her personal oyster. Her options seemed limitless, and she wasted no time in calling out the biggest name possible. Claressa Shields.
For as badly as Crews-Dezurn wanted to jump back into the mix, she knew that she couldn’t. The former champion simply had to wait her turn and rebuild herself from the ground up. It may have been irritating, but the former champ was willing to put in the work to climb back up the rankings. But something just wasn’t sitting right with her.
During their contest, Crews-Dezurn hit Jimenez with everything that she had. Not only did she continue to move forward, but she didn’t even bat an eye.
“It was different,” said Dezurn on Boxing Insider Radio shortly after her loss. “I’ve fought around the world, remember I used to fight at Light Heavyweight as well. I’ve sparred men but it was different. Something was different that’s all I can say. I hit like a Heavyweight, I’ve done testing with USA boxing and I hit as hard as a man but some of the punches she was taking wasn’t normal.”
Crews-Dezurn didn’t exactly call her opponent a flat out drug cheat, but if she did, she would have been justified.
Yet, two weeks after the biggest win of her career, Jimenez was busted for using an anabolic steroid called stanozolol. A drug commonly used to help fighters shed weight. As is always the case, Jimenez screamed of her innocence from the mountain tops. But those screams quickly quieted as she was found guilty on all accounts.
Not only has the win of Jimenez been changed to a no contest, but both titles were stripped away from her.
Rather than have Crews-Dezurn fight for the belts, the WBO has awarded her with her title back. The WBC however, seems poised to make her fight for the vacant title. A conclusion that would be puzzling to say the least.
Regardless of the decision of the WBC, Crews-Dezurn at the very least can call herself a champion once again.
As for a possible suspension for Jimenez, that is unclear at the moment. But a punishment is certainly on the way at some point.
