Terence Crawford rips Ilia Topuria after UFC Freedom 250 loss

Terence Crawford says Ilia Topuria crossed a line when the UFC star claimed he could knock out elite boxers — and Crawford made sure to remind him of it after Topuria's shocking loss to Justin Gaethje.

Crawford, who retired in December with a perfect 42-0 record, told Ariel Helwani he had never heard of Topuria until the Georgian-Spaniard started issuing callouts to boxing's biggest names. Topuria had claimed he would knock out Crawford, Shakur Stevenson, and Canelo Alvarez, statements that caught the attention of the four-weight world champion. When Topuria's corner threw in the towel after four rounds against Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 last month — ending his unbeaten run at 17-1 — Crawford posted on X: "This is the guy that said he would knock me out and whoop me and Shakur at the same time?"

Crawford unimpressed by Topuria's striking against Gaethje

Speaking with Helwani, Crawford explained he tuned in specifically to see what the hype was about. "I didn't know who he was until he came out saying he would knock me and Canelo out, and I'm like, 'Who's this guy?' Everybody's saying he's got this enormous boxing ability, that he can go into boxing and do real well. So, I'm really tuning in. This is my first time seeing him in a fight. And the first impression wasn't the best impression."

Crawford said Topuria's callouts felt personal. "For him to come out and say he gonna beat me, one of the best fighters of all time, knocking me out, I think it was a sign of disrespect," he said. "I've been doing boxing since I was 7 years old. There's no way that this guy is gonna come in there and do anything to me that I ain't never seen before. So, seeing him get hit with the jab and the 1-2 the whole fight, I'm like, 'What? What's everybody excited about?'"

Gaethje landed heavy shots in rounds three and four before Topuria's corner pulled him out, marking one of the biggest upsets in recent UFC history. Crawford, who retired at 38 in December, remains firm that no MMA fighter poses a threat in the boxing ring.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Terence Crawford says Ilia Topuria crossed the line with boxing claims