Ilia Topuria is done chasing Terence Crawford now that Bud has stepped away from boxing.
Not long ago, Topuria was trying to drag Crawford into crossover talk. Now he is speaking about him with a lot more respect. That shift matters because Topuria usually treats a microphone like it owes him money. This time he sounded measured, and it lands in the middle of a stretch where he has kept himself in the headlines by predicting he would submit Islam Makhachev and trading shots with Arman Tsarukyan.
“Now that he’s retired, congrats to him for an amazing career that he had. He’s one of those boxers that I like to watch. I have learned many, many things from his style, so I don’t wanna even talk or challenge him because he’s retired. So I wish him all the best to him and his family.”
Watch the interview clip below.
Topuria still wants to box after MMA, just not against a retired Crawford
Crawford retired with a perfect 42-0 record and world titles across five weight classes. He also became the first male boxer to become undisputed champion in three divisions, so Topuria is not talking about some random celebrity side quest here. He is talking about one of the cleanest boxers of his era.
“He seems to be a a serious guy. Like, he seems to be the kind of person that says something and he backs it up.”
“Of course, it’s on my list. Of course, it’s gonna happen. It’s gonna happen. At least one fight, after I finish my journey in the mixed martial arts, I’m gonna make that move for sure.”
“I don’t know [who I’ll fight against]. When the moment arrives, I don’t know who’s gonna be on the top, who’s gonna be the world champion in the weight class where I wanna fight. So we’ll see, there are many factors that matters before taking those kind of decisions.”
Topuria’s own run explains why he thinks that move will eventually be there. He turned pro in 2015, built his early record on the Spanish regional scene, and became the first Georgian and Spanish fighter to win a UFC title. He later moved up and added a second UFC belt while staying undefeated at 17-0. That kind of résumé gives a fighter enough leverage to dream big, even if calling out Crawford was always a little too spicy.
Topuria is still leaving the boxing door open, especially after Shakur Stevenson called for a boxing match with Topuria. But his stance on Crawford is clear now. Crawford is retired, so the callout is done.
