Terence Crawford isn’t looking to get into the Octagon with Conor McGregor.
The boxing star revealed he turned down a two-fight offer to go against McGregor, per Andreas Hale of ESPN. Turki Alalshikh, who is the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, offered the pair a two-fight deal that McGregor said would have paid “hundreds of millions” with one matchup in the boxing ring and the other a mixed martial arts showdown.
“They offered me the fight,” Crawford told Bernie Tha Boxer (h/t Hale). “Me and Conor got on the phone and started politicking to try and figure something out. Man, I’m not getting in no f—ing Octagon with you so you can be kicking and elbowing me!”
Chances are, the two fighters would have ended up each winning in their respective sports.
After all, Crawford has never competed in MMA and would be facing one of the sport’s most notable names in McGregor. As for boxing, the 37-year-old remains one of three boxers to simultaneously hold all four major world titles in two different weight classes and would surely have the advantage inside the ring.
McGregor at least has boxing experience after he went against Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
He held his own and lost via a 10th-round TKO, but that was also seven years ago and before he has been sidelined by a toe injury that has kept him away from MMA for four-plus years.
With that as the backdrop, the UFC fighter understood Crawford’s decision.
“He was like, ‘I respect that,’” Crawford said of McGregor’s response. “‘You respect my sport just like I respect your sport. You understand that if you got in the Octagon with me, I would be at a disadvantage. Just like if I got in a boxing ring with you, I’d be at a disadvantage.’”
That means fans will have to wait longer for McGregor’s return to the world of combat sports.
He was slated to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June, but a toe injury delayed that appearance and now leaves the identity of his next opponent up in the air.
As for Crawford, he is 66-11 (33 KOs) in the boxing ring and last competed during a unanimous decision victory over Israil Madrimov in August. It remains to be seen who is next opponent will be, although Hale noted there have been discussions about a high-profile showdown with Canelo Álvarez.
