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UFC Champion Ilia Topuria Eyes Boxing Debut Against Canelo or Crawford

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Robert LaMar | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 1:58 PM ET

Ilia Topuria has quickly become one of the UFC’s brightest stars, and now the undefeated lightweight champion is openly targeting a new challenge — a professional boxing debut against the winner of Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford.

Topuria (17-0, 7 KOs, 8 submissions), who also previously held the UFC featherweight title, has built a pound-for-pound résumé by delivering highlight-reel knockouts of three future Hall of Famers: Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira. His sharp boxing skills inside the Octagon have made him an intriguing crossover candidate as UFC president Dana White expands into the boxing world with TKO’s new Zuffa Boxing division.

Ilia Topuria lays out roadmap for his career:

Crossover to boxing and lose to Canelo
Start a Spanish Wine company
Come back to fight Islam Makhachev and get finished
Return years later to beat Beneil Dariush and disappear again
Fight Max Holloway and lose
Rematch Max Holloway… pic.twitter.com/SiPxPJ0jEy

— Casual MMA (@CasualMMAinc) August 11, 2025

“Why Not With Me?”

Speaking to Kyle Forgeard of the Nelk Boys, Topuria made it clear that he wants to follow the path set by Conor McGregor, who fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a 2017 spectacle.

“Even if I still have fights with the UFC, you can always ask to go to boxing. They did it with Conor, why not with me? I would love to go to boxing,” Topuria said.

“I would love to go against the winner of Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford. Canelo, because he was my idol. There’s always respect for everyone, but I have to try. Why not? I feel like I can do it… Maybe I’ll be the first UFC fighter to get a world title in boxing. Let’s go, Turki Alalshikh.”

Topuria also revealed ambitions to one day challenge for the UFC welterweight title, which would make him a three-division UFC champion.

Canelo Responds

Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, faces Crawford on September 13 in Las Vegas in a Netflix-streamed super fight. Asked in June about Topuria’s challenge, Canelo admitted he hadn’t seen a full Topuria fight but expressed admiration for the UFC star.

“I really love him and respect him a lot,” Álvarez said. “It’s awesome to see other fighters like me. But let’s see… first things first. Let’s worry about Crawford now.”

Whether Topuria’s crossover dream becomes reality remains to be seen, but with his rapid rise in MMA and growing popularity, his name may soon join the short list of UFC fighters who’ve made the leap to a major boxing event.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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