Terence Crawford recently took aim at Ilia Topuria in response to the UFC champion’s latest comments about him. Topuria expressed his desire to showcase his boxing ability and claimed he could defeat Crawford.
Topuria added more fuel to the fire last Saturday. He blasted Crawford for using his walkout song, calling it ironic given ‘Bud’s previous comments about him.
During his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Crawford responded to Topuria’s remarks. Despite their brief meeting at the UFC PI, he claimed that he didn’t even know who ‘El Matador’ was.
“When he seen me at the UFC, he came up to shake my hand and said what’s up to me. I didn’t even know who he was,” Crawford said. “I definitely think he’s trying to clout chase.”
‘Bud’ slammed Topuria for seeking attention and not having the same level of star power as Conor McGregor.
“He’s not nowhere near on the level of [McGregor], let’s be real. Stop it. Don’t ever compare him to Conor,” Crawford said. “I don’t know this guy. I’ve never seen this guy fight…Tell that guy to keep up the good work in his career. I wish him the best.”
Ilia Topuria Issues Challenge to Terence Crawford
Topuria wasn’t pleased with Crawford’s response. He fired back at ‘Bud’s remarks about not knowing who he was. The UFC champion issued a challenge, proposing a matchup between the two pound-for-pound fighters from their respective sports.
Topuria reposted Crawford’s comments on his X account, along with a warning for the boxing star. The UFC champion refuted ‘Bud’s version of their meeting. ‘El Matador’ also implied that he would knock out boxing star if they met in the ring.
“You say you’re an MMA fan, but you don’t even know who I am…Interesting,” Topuria wrote on X. The first time we met you told me ‘good luck this week with your fight.’ Your memory fails you and soon your chin will too.”
He added:
“I’ll represent the entire MMA community. Pound-for-pound No.1 in real fights vs. the pound-for-pound boxer.”
Is a Fight Between Crawford and Topuria Realistic?
Despite Topuria’s interest in a potential boxing match against Crawford, it seems unlikely for now. ‘Bud’ recently earned the biggest win with his performance against Alvarez, leading some to speculate about retirement.
Crawford, 37, improved his professional record to 42-0 after his unanimous decision win over Alvarez.
Meanwhile, Topuria is currently the UFC lightweight champion. He has several appealing matchups available, including potential bouts with Paddy Pimblett and Islam Makhachev.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Crawford questioned whether the payday for a possibly facing Topuria would even be worth it.
“What [amount of] money would I get for fighting him?” Crawford told The Ariel Helwani Show. “How much are we going to make? Am I gonna make more with him than I did with Canelo?
UFC CEO Dana White has also gotten involved in boxing. He promoted the Canelo vs. Crawford fight on Netflix. However, based on his reluctance to book crossover fights, it would take plenty of convincing to change his stance.