Ilia Topuria says his pursuit of a boxing match with Terence Crawford is officially over, closing the door on a crossover clash he had been pushing for.
Topuria had been targeting a bout with Crawford while the boxing star was preparing to face Canelo Alvarez in September 2025. Crawford went on to defeat Alvarez and then retired from boxing, later dismissing Topuria’s challenge and saying he had never seen Topuria fight.
“Now that he’s retired, congrats to him for an amazing career that he had,” Topuria said. “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.”
According to the article, Topuria is a two-division UFC champion and is described as a major star in Spain, though not yet a North American star. He still intends to step into the boxing ring someday, with plans to have at least one boxing match after finishing his mixed martial arts career.
