By Raquel Ruiz for MyBoxingFans
Franchon Crews is back in the amateur boxing ring after two years of self-soul searching. “The Heavy Hitting Diva” as she calls herself, discovered that her passion for the sport is greater than her need to live a normal life.
If holding two jobs, taking care of her ill mother, Sarah Marie Crews, who has almost died twice in her arms, and training to be champion can be called normal. The lack of sleep is her most unfriendly companion, but needed to pay the bills; among them her boxing training and travel to competitions. Like the $2,600 she put from her pocket and help from her Baltimore UMAR boxing gym so that she could go to Ecuador to represent the USA. Before that, it was for the box-off in Colorado Springs.
She doesn’t believe in luck. She didn’t win the box–off that gave the boxers the right to represent the USA at the Pan American qualifiers in Ecuador. She lost to national champion Tiffanie Hearn, who went to the first qualifier in Venezuela, but failed to gain the spot. Hearn had the right to go to the 2nd qualifier, but couldn’t get permission from her job, so Crews received the call and immediately got ready for Ecuador.
The 23 year-old, 5’8” and 165 pound boxer from Norfolk, VA who lives in Baltimore, after returning to the ropes, went to the first international bout in Quito, Ecuador. It was a clear wining statement, 22-0 against Kimberly Gittens from Barbados. She came back to stay, reign and continue to the Olympic games in 2012.
She won a silver medal in Quito, but of course she wanted gold. Crews lost her last bout to the boxer from the Dominican Republic. Both of them qualified for the Pan Am games that will take place in Guadalajara, México this October.
“I came back to boxing alter doing a lot of thinking, with the decision to be responsible with my weight and my training,” said The Heavy Hitting Diva, who easily could be a professional singer, and once competed in the American Idol show. In Ecuador she left many fans, for her spirit, voice and most important, for her boxing skills.
Her second bout in Quito was with hometown boxer Blanca Burgos that Crews won 9-8. Crews celebrated with tears.
“We were missing Crews in the women boxing family,” said Alex González, president of the Ecuador Boxing Federation that has hosted three International women boxing tournaments.
During the Quito tournament, coach Basheer Abdullah was in the Boxing Diva’s corner. He went with the Army boxers as a head coach of the World Class Athlete Program/All Army Sports. He also helps the boxers who travel alone, like Crews.
“I’ve always thought Franchon was one of our best female boxers. She wasn’t in the best condition but her mental strength I found to be amazing. She also follows instructions very well. I believe that if she is our Olympian, she has a great chance of bringing back a medal for our country,” said Abdullah, who went last year with the USA women team to the World Championships in Barbados as a head coach. He also helped out with the women, bringing back one gold and two bronze medals.
Crews started boxing at the age of 16 and won her first national title at 17. Before taking the break, she won four USA national champions, four national Golden Gloves, one Police Athletic league national championship and three Continental gold medals. She holds a record of 40-3. Her focus now is the USA Nationals in Colorado Springs from June 19th to the 26.
“The USA Opens are next month so I want to focus on those and peak at the right time. This will be my official debut back on the national scene in the USA. There will be familiar faces, new faces and Tiffanie Hearn. Preparation is key and I don’t want what happened in Quito to happen in the USA.”
She wants to again be the USA national champion and she is training hard to reach that goal. Her coaches from UMAR, Marvin McDowell (Head coach) and James Dennis (Asst. Coach) help and encourage her.
“If my mom fights everyday for her life, why I can’t do the same in the ring,” said the boxer who proclaims her 53 year-old mother as her role model, even if she doesn’t agree with her boxing career. She respects her decision and every time Crews walks into a boxing tournament, the only request her mother asks is for her to “come back in one piece.”
Until now she has done what mother Sarah Marie Crews asks for, and prays to God to continue doing it.
All Photos by Raquel Ruiz
“The truth” is obviously a hater. You took the time to put someone else’s business out there. Seems like you’ve been drinking hatorade to me..u must be one of those athletes who had hard feelings about her winning the recent arbitration. Lol. Franchon your the best, forget about what these haters are saying. You are right where you want to be and there not. It’s just jealous. Brush it off and keep fighting for yourself and your mother. Bmore stand up !!!
The is Franchon and honestly what you are saying has no significance to me. Unless you were in my back pocket every second of my life and amateur boxing career we don’t quite believe everything you are saying. I don’t have to hide behind anyone or anything. I fear no one but the Almighty. Its my life and I can choose what and what not to speak on. With all due respect, But I if you have a problem with the choice of words that were used take that up with Ms. Ruiz as you see I was never quoted saying what you are saying. I’m not mad at you I have love for you lil mama. I hope you walk up to me at the nationals and shake my hand then give me a cup to piss in since you are my personal doping officer. You are really funny to attribute my wins to cheating, I guess I cheated my way to the PaN Am games to huh? Naw I put hard work and big bucks to pay my own way hun USAB didn’t sponsor nothing. I’m blessed they gave me a chance to do my thing though. Lol its cool only God can judge me and its always someone that will try to bring you down. Dag I didn’t know you were the epitome of perfection you piss gold and crap silver right? I have my life to live you have yours I don’t have time to judge you because I’m training for greatness. You never have a good story without downfalls and obsticals. This is life and stuff happens. Hey if boxing doesn’t work for you private detective work may be in your future but just work on getting your facts straight first. HATE BREEDS HATE LOVE CONQUERS ALL and I have nothing but love for you. I’m gonna keep doing me and brush the haters off I hope you do the same.C U Soon and make sure you come up to me and show me love.
Actually, I am another boxer and have been around as long as Franchon. I am no hater and have never fought her. I know the pressure of maintaining and making weight and staying in shape. It’s unfortunate that she decided to take the easy way out on several occasions and use banned substances. The problem is that USA Boxing sent Franchon to international competition to represent the US and it is just a slap in the face for her to repeatedly fail ‘doping/drug tests and have many of her titles loss, that USA Boxing sponsored and paid for. I was just putting the truth out there, instead of her just hiding behind some “voluntary” break from the sport. It takes repetitive violations of the anti-doping and anti-drug policy to actually be banned, so it is a disgrace in my eyes to make the same mistake again and again and again. So, forgive me for telling it like it is. Truth is Truth.
The hater on the bottom aka TheTruth must be someone that Franchon beat up and decided to google her and found this article…lmao
Who are you and what’s your deal? I’m guessing you are here to expose some big underlining story. A disgrace is the performance of the 2008 Olympic team. Who are you to judge someone else and mishaps they have encountered in life. Oh I know GOD….pretty sure if USAB were so “disgraced” she wouldn’t have went to Ecuador in the first place. As you read and can see she is still well respected domestically and internationally.To call someone a “disgrace” shows you are classless, judgemental and probably one of those overweight spectators that has so much to say about nothing. How does the saying goes if you do the crime you do the time weather it was voluntary or not the poor girl paid her dues. Let her live her life and stop hating. Get a life…….
The truth is that Crews was banned from boxing for two years because of failing several drug/doping tests. She didn’t take her break voluntarily by any means. A disgrace to the sport and to the US.
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