Terence Crawford Stands by Comments After Ilia Topuria’s UFC Freedom 250 Defeat
Boxing superstar Terence Crawford has defended his decision to mock former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria following the Spaniard’s loss at UFC Freedom 250.
Topuria suffered the first defeat of his professional career after losing to Justin Gaethje by TKO through a corner stoppage in a major upset. Before the fight, Topuria had confidently claimed he could beat boxing champions Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez in crossover bouts.
Crawford, who watched the event from cageside, reacted to Topuria’s defeat with posts on social media, drawing criticism from some fans, including former UFC champion Conor McGregor.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Crawford explained that Topuria’s earlier comments were disrespectful.
“I didn’t know who he was until he said he would knock me and Canelo out,” Crawford said. “People talked about his boxing skills, so I watched his fight. My first impression wasn’t the best.”
The undefeated boxing champion added that he has trained in boxing since he was seven years old and believes Topuria would not pose a serious challenge in the ring.
“I’ve been boxing since I was seven. There’s nothing he can do to me that I haven’t seen before,” Crawford said. “Watching him struggle with basic punches made me wonder why people were so excited about his boxing ability.”
Crawford remains one of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters, while Topuria will now look to bounce back after suffering the first loss of his UFC career.
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