Topuria Warned About Boxing Crawford

Michael Chiesa has warned Ilia Topuria not to pursue a boxing fight with Terence Crawford.

Topuria and Crawford have been exchanging verbals of late. Ilia stated that he would knockout Crawford as the latter was preparing to face the Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez. Crawford then came out on top to become a three-weight undisputed champ, picking up Canelo’s belt at 168.

Bud reacted to Ilia’s comments, saying he was probably drunk, while also diminishing his star power. Conor McGregor famously talked himself into a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. While he would go on to get stopped, the fight reportedly earned him $100 million. Topuria has the chance to do the same, but it comes with risk, as Chiesa warned. 

“Absolutely not. We lost Conor McGregor after the Floyd Mayweather fight. That’s not the goal with Zuffa boxing. Essentially, that would be if we pulled Topuria up into that space, that would mean that that’s part of their MO. Look, anything could happen. Floyd is different from Crawford in the sense that – I’m not saying Crawford doesn’t know how to promote a fight, but Floyd was a master at that,” Chiesa said

Should It Happen?

Chiesa’s warning is based on the massive skill gap between a generational boxing talent and a top MMA striker. Crawford is a master of his craft, widely considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world after his historic win over Canelo Alvarez. A professional boxing match between Crawford and Topuria would not be a fair fight.  

While Topuria has incredible knockout power and is an excellent striker within the context of MMA, he lacks the technical precision, defensive mastery, and ring experience to compete with a fighter like Crawford. A fight would likely end in a devastating knockout for Topuria.

However, Chiesa’s advice might be too cautious given the financial opportunity. The most compelling reason for Topuria to pursue the fight is the life-changing money that a crossover bout can generate. The example of Conor McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the perfect case study. A similar fight for Topuria would provide him with a payday that he would likely never earn in his entire UFC career.

For Topuria, the risk is not that he would lose—that would be the expected outcome—but that he would not be able to capitalize on the money. The verbal sparring and accusations of Crawford “lying” about not knowing who he is have already created a viral feud. A fight would be a global spectacle that would increase Topuria’s star power.