Terence Crawford denies Conor McGregor's $200M fight claim

Terence Crawford says Conor McGregor made up the story about a $200 million fight offer.

McGregor, who returns against Max Holloway at UFC 329 next weekend after five years away, told media in recent weeks that Saudi Arabian adviser Turki Al-Sheikh offered him and Crawford $200 million to do a two-fight crossover deal — one boxing match, one MMA bout — but the boxing champion turned it down. Crawford told Yahoo Sports that account is fiction. "That was a lie," he said, per the report. "It was cap. It wasn't never no $200 million offer."

Crawford says real money would have changed his mind

Crawford confirmed he did speak with McGregor about the idea during a FaceTime call and said he would not agree to let the Irishman kick him, but he insists no formal offer with that dollar figure ever materialized. "If it was said to me, I could say there was an offer, but if nothing is previewed to me, I can't say what is what," Crawford told Yahoo. "He's making up numbers, in my head."

Still, Crawford admitted he would have taken the fight had the money been real. "I would have done it. Why wouldn't I?" he said, as MMA Fighting reported. The former undisputed champion, who wrestled in his youth, added that McGregor is not an elite grappler and that one clean punch would end the fight on the feet. "I'm going to put him to sleep," Crawford said.

Crawford retired last year after beating Canelo Alvarez to become only the second male boxer to win undisputed titles in three weight classes. He says he is happily done and not thinking about a comeback. McGregor faces Holloway on July 12 in Las Vegas.

Photo: U.S. Secretary of Defense / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Morning Report | Terence Crawford says he’d have fought Conor McGregor for $200 million, but ‘that was a lie’ | MMA Fighting