The age-old debate of boxer vs. MMA fighter has raged on since James Toney’s ill-fated UFC bout against Randy Couture. Years later, the script flipped when Conor McGregor stepped into the boxing ring with Floyd Mayweather, followed by Francis Ngannou’s high-profile clashes against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Now, the rivalry has a new chapter, featuring reigning UFC 155lbs champion Ilia Topuria and boxing great Terence Crawford.
While Crawford named Cody Garbrandt as the best boxer to ever compete inside the Octagon, Topuria fired back with a bold claim of his own, promising he would knock out the undefeated 41-0 ‘Bud’ with ease. Crawford has since issued a fiery response, keeping the crossover debate alive and thriving.
Terence Crawford Mocks Ilia Topuria as ‘Drunk’ for Claiming He Could Win Inside the Ring
For those unaware, Topuria has been on a remarkable tear inside the Octagon, scoring knockout victories over legends like Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira on his way to two-division UFC glory. Recently, the Spaniard crossed paths with Terence Crawford and later posted a picture of the two together, asking fans who would win if they ever fought.
Not long after, “El Matador” doubled down with a bold statement: “I won’t talk about what would happen between me and Crawford in an octagon, I’ll talk about what would happen in a ring. I put him to sleep in the first contact.”
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The claim quickly caught the attention of Crawford, a four-weight world champion and two-division undisputed king. And at Wednesday’s Canelo vs. Crawford media day in Las Vegas, ‘Bud’ fired back with a hilarious response.
“That dude’s drunk,” Crawford said. “A lot of MMA guys, they drink a lot, so he must have been on that alcohol that day.”
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Just like Topuria in MMA, the 37-year-old remains unbeaten in boxing with a perfect 41-0 record, including 31 knockouts. Up next, he moves up in weight to challenge super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. The highly anticipated showdown streams live on Netflix on September 13 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
It’s not just Crawford firing back. Veteran MMA journalist Luke Thomas also weighed in on Ilia Topuria’s bold remarks, warning that a matchup with Terence Crawford would not end well for the UFC champion.
Speaking on Submission Radio, Thomas was asked if Topuria could survive against Crawford. His response was blunt: “I cannot imagine he would last any longer than Terence would want him to.”
Thomas pointed to Crawford’s dominant win over Errol Spence Jr., reminding fans that Spence was widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world until he ran into ‘Bud.’ He explained that Spence had never been knocked out, had taken little damage in his career, and fought as a southpaw.
Yet after facing Crawford in 2023, he hasn’t fought since. Thomas concluded by saying that an MMA fighter simply isn’t equipped to handle the elite level of a boxer like the undefeated 41-0 Crawford.
