From ring rivalry to respect: Ilia Topuria wishes Terence Crawford well

Ilia Topuria changes tone on Terence Crawford after retirement

Topuria, a former featherweight champion and now the lightweight titleholder, has always had an interest in crossing over to boxing.

Since Conor McGregor’s high-profile bout with Floyd Mayweather, other UFC fighters have followed suit. Topuria is one of them, having built his reputation in MMA through his striking ability. He believed he could knock out ‘Bud’ if they ever fought, which led to some back-and-forth between the two.

Instead of stepping into the ring for a crossover fight, Crawford chose to retire. That decision seems to have shifted Topuria’s approach when talking about the former boxer.

“Now that he’s retired, congrats to him for an amazing career that he had,” Topuria said during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show.

“He’s one of those boxers that I like to watch. I have learned many, many things from his style, so I don’t wanna even talk or challenge him because he’s retired.

“So I wish him all the best to him and his family,” he added.

While Crawford enjoys retirement, Topuria still has plenty that he wants to achieve in combat sports.

The Spaniard has ambitions of becoming a three-weight world champion by moving up again to chase Islam Makhachev’s welterweight gold. But before taking on that challenge at 170 pounds, Topuria needs to make his first title defence at 155.