Crawford proudly displays his boxing belts. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/tbudcrawford
Ilia Topuria 's defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC White House , held in Washington DC, continues to reverberate in the boxing world. This time, the undefeated Terrence Crawford commented on the Georgian's loss. Considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, the American responded to the former UFC champion's statements about a possible super fight between them and did not hide his irritation with the provocations.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani's YouTube channel, Crawford revealed that he didn't even know Topuria before the former champion claimed he could beat him in a boxing ring. After watching the fight against Justin Gaethje , the American said he was disappointed with 'El Matador's' performance and called his statements disrespectful.
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“I didn’t know who he was until he showed up saying he was going to knock me and Canelo out. Everyone says he has enormous talent for boxing, that he could do very well in professional boxing. I’m paying attention. This was the first time I saw him fight. My first impression wasn’t the best. Coming here and saying he was going to beat me, one of the best fighters of all time, knock me out, I think that was disrespectful,” declared the boxing legend.
Next, Crawford explained why he believes Topuria is still far from posing a real threat to one of the biggest names in world boxing. According to the undefeated champion, decades of experience in the sport make it unlikely that an athlete from MMA could surprise him.
“I’ve been boxing since I was 7 years old. There’s no way this guy could come in there and do something to me that I’ve never seen before. So, seeing him take jabs and straight punches the whole fight, I thought, ‘What? Why is everyone so excited about this?’”, Crawford stated.
Topuria's defeat in the White House
Topuria was punished by Gaethje in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
Ilia Topuria 's reign came to an end at UFC Casa Branca . The Georgian was knocked out by Justin Gaethje in the main event held in Washington (USA) and lost his lightweight title (up to 70,3 kg). The American improved in the second half of the fight and finished the bout with a dominant performance between the third and fourth rounds.
The result ended Topuria's undefeated streak in the UFC and interrupted the trajectory of the double champion, who had come from impressive victories over Charles Oliveira , Max Holloway , and Alexander Volkanovski . On the other hand, Gaethje reached the top of the category, winning the undisputed belt and reinforcing his prominence among the top lightweights in the event's history.
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