The crowd booed vociferously, letting the judges and everyone else in attendance for the International Boxing Hall of Fame show what they thought of the decision.

One judge had the fight 95-95 even, while the other two had it 96-94 and an indefensible 98-92 for Crews, 10-2 (2 KOs), of Norfolk, Virginia.

Ortiz, a 2024 Mexico Olympian, dropped to 4-2 (1 KO) with the loss.

While the 5ft 8ins Crews entered the fight with a four-inch height advantage, it turned out to be a disadvantage at times as she gave in to her impulse to loop overhand rights from the outside. That tactic allowed Ortiz to get inside with her shorter, quicker punches, which landed frequently on the taller target. Head trainer Barry Hunter became exasperated by his inability to get through to Crews-Dezurn with his instructions to “stay long” and throw straighter shots, which caused him to remain on his stool after the third and give corner instruction duties to his assistants.

Crews-Dezurn began to find success in the fourth round as she used her jab more frequently, setting up right hands that caused Ortiz’s eye to swell. But Ortiz was able to adjust the following round by throwing punches with her head off the line, catching Crews-Dezurn coming in.

With the fight on the line, Crews-Dezurn and Ortiz brawled to the end, with both fighters’ left eyes showing signs of war.

After the fight, Crews-Dezurn was booed repeatedly by each section of the arena she walked through.

The fight is the first successful title defense for Crews-Dezurn of the belts she won in December of 2023 with a decision over Shadasia Green.

Also, Wendy Toussaint scored the biggest victory of his career, upsetting the previously unbeaten Joe Hicks Jnr.

Toussaint used his right-hand power to keep Hicks off balance for much of the fight en route to a majority decision win. One judge had it even at 95-95, while the other two had it 97-93 and 96-94, in favor of the 17-3 (7 KOs) Toussaint, of Huntington, New York. Hicks, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, dropped to 12-1 (8 KOs) with the defeat.

The fight got off to a disastrous start for Hicks, as a right hand to the cheek had him rocked in the opening round. Toussaint continued to pour on the damage in the second and fourth rounds, as Hicks seemed unable to get his legs under him and wobbled each time a right hand landed even partially.

By the middle rounds, Hicks’ technical skill began to pull him out of the hole he had found himself in, as his jab was able to keep Toussaint too occupied to throw wild right hands.

By the sixth, Hicks had gotten his legs back under him and Toussaint’s activity began to slow, allowing Hicks to establish his jab and set up combinations to the body. As Toussaint’s attack began to deteriorate into desperate attempts to land one right hand at a time, it was Hicks who was landing combinations and investing in the body.

Toussaint stunned Hicks again with a right hand in the ninth but was able to get back to boxing. Hicks came out aggressively in the 10th and final round as Toussaint appeared to be fading, but he still had enough stamina to land a wide left hook that caught Hicks coming in near the final bell.

Hicks, 31, had been a 2019 National Golden Gloves champion.

Also on the card, Joshua James Pagan, 13-0 (4 KOs), remained undefeated, outpointing James Bernadin, 13-3-1 (6 KOs), by scores of 99-91 on two cards and 98-92 on the third.

Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.