McGregor Says Terence Crawford Turned Down A Fight

Conor McGregor has revealed he was in talks over a two-fight deal with Terrence Crawford. 

McGregor only had one boxing bout in 2017 against Floyd Mayweather. While he came up short in a 10th-round stoppage, he was praised for going very far on his boxing debut against one of the best fighters of all time. The fight earned him a reported $100 million, and McGregor managed to crossover as a mainstream star. Since then, McGregor’s career has derailed. McGregor has only had three wins out of his last four UFC bouts. He lost to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021 in his latest fight. Conor suffered a broken leg, and he has not been in action since then.

He was meant to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29. But the Irishman withdrew after suffering a broken toe. Dana White has confirmed that McGregor will fight early next year, but there are question marks over whether UFC fans will see him again. There are other options available for McGregor. He has been linked with boxing fights against other opponents. Names such as Manny Pacquiao, Oleksandr Usyk, and Crawford have been mentioned. Talks over a bout with Crawford were over a two-fight deal.

McGregor On Crawford

The first would have been in MMA, and the other in boxing. Crawford does have a wrestling background, given that he has been seen wrestling members of his training camp on numerous occasions. Although that may be the case, facing a fully-fledged MMA fighter is a different ball game. McGregor revealed that Crawford ultimately turned down the fight, stating that he did not want to face a leg kick from the Irishman.

“Crawford is very slick, he also has a wrestling background pedigree. You know they’re always talking to me about bouts. I’ve already boxed a boxer, and the best boxer in MMA is me. You know what I mean? I generate the most [power]. We were talking back and forth about a two-fight deal. He rings up Crawford in front of me the day after the fights.

“I get on the phone and say ‘Crawford, they’re here talking about you and me [fighting]. Two-fight deal, MMA first, boxing second. I know you have an extensive wrestling background, and balls the size of a Bengal tiger. They’re asking for a fight, it’ll be hundreds of millions on the line. What’s up?’” “He goes, ‘I don’t fancy taking a kick off Conor McGregor’, that’s what he said. You have to respect that,” McGregor said 

Will It Happen?

Nevertheless, there is always a chance that Crawford and McGregor could have other crossover fights. McGregor has two fights left on his UFC deal after which he indicated his desire to fight in BKFC. A BKFC fight could be a good compromise, given that McGregor is known for his striking. Meanwhile, Crawford is one of the most accurate punches in the division. It would also earn the two fighters a significant amount of money. This is especially since McGregor is a part owner of the franchise, giving him more control in BKFC.

Crawford is at the latter end of his career, as he targets a lucrative fight with Canelo Alvarez at 168. But there is no guarantee that the fight will be made, given that Canelo has given a mixed reaction towards facing Crawford. He initially dismissed the fight by saying that he would get no credit for being a 147 fighter. However, since then, he has entertained the idea that the money is correct. But if that fight does not come to fruition, a Crawford-McGregor fight could be made in BKFC.

Comments

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.