Boxing

Ilia Topuria Claps Back After Terence Crawford Snubs Him As Best UFC Boxer

Ilia Topuria claps back following Terence Crawford's bext UFC boxer snub.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Terence Crawford recently snubbed Ilia Topuria when naming the best boxer in the UFC. Topuria is known for his hands inside the octagon.

He is currently on a three knockout streak against Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira and many consider him the best fundamental boxer in the UFC.

Crawford, however, picked Cody Garbrandt ahead of Topuria as the best boxer in the UFC. Speaking on the Full Send podcast, 'Bud' said:

“It’s my guy, Cody [Garbrandt]. He’s the best UFC boxer."
Terence Crawford
Terrence Crawford
IMAGO / Hoganphotos

When asked whether Topuria was better than Garbrandt, Crawford said, "Yeah, but I don’t know, man, Cody’s got those hands. But I’m saying, when you’re talking about straight boxing, we ain’t talking about nothing else, we’re talking about straight boxing skills, I just think Cody’s got the best boxing skills in the UFC. But that’s just my opinion."

Ilia Topuria fires back at Terence Crawford

'El Matador' recently crossed paths with 'Bud' Crawford and asked fans who would win in a fight. Topuria has now claimed that he'd knock Crawford out with the first shot if they ever face off inside the boxing ring. He tweeted:

"I won’t talk about what would happen between me and Crawford in an octagon I’ll talk about what would happen in a ring.
I put him to sleep in the first contact !!"
Ilia Topuria

Crawford is undefeated inside the ring with a record of 41-0-0 with 31 career knockout wins. He has barely been hurt by a punch; Hence, Topuria's claim of knocking him out is bold to say the least.

Ilia Topuria wants the winner of Canelo vs Crawford

For now, Crawford is set for the biggest fight of his career, against Canelo Alvarez on September 13. He is looking to become the first ever men's boxer to become a three-division undisputed champion.

Topuria, meanwhile, has previously called for the winner of Canelo vs Crawford. Speaking on Full Send, he said, "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 added, "I would love to go against the winner of Canelo Alvarez 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. If they want to give me the opportunity to do it directly, why not?"

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.