Boxing star Terence Crawford said he turned down a contract to fight UFC great Conor McGregor because he didn’t want to take part in a mixed martial arts fight.
In separate interviews, both Crawford and McGregor revealed that Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, offered them a two-fight contract, one in boxing and the other in MMA. McGregor said they would receive “hundreds of millions.”
But while McGregor was willing to compete in both sports, Crawford refused.
“They offered me this fight,” the four-division champion said in an interview with Bernie Tha Boxer. “Me and Conor called and started getting political to figure something out. Man, I’m not going into any fucking Octagon with you so you can kick and elbow me!”
McGregor, 36, is no stranger to crossover fights. In 2017, the former two-division UFC champion boxed Floyd Mayweather. McGregor lost by TKO in the 10th round, but reportedly earned over $100 million. The Las Vegas fight grossed $55.5 million live and sold 4.3 million pay-per-view buys, the second-most in boxing history.
The undefeated Crawford, 37, is arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and one of three boxers to have won all four major world titles simultaneously in two different weight classes.
However, Crawford has not competed in MMA, and although he has a background in wrestling, he said he would prefer to keep his fights in the boxing ring.
“He said, ‘I respect that,’” Crawford said of McGregor’s reaction to him turning down the fight. “You respect my sport as much as I respect your sport. You understand that if you entered the octagon with me, I would be at a disadvantage. Just like if I got into a boxing ring with you, I’d be at a disadvantage.'”
McGregor confirmed the story during a live broadcast with Duelbits.
“[I told Crawford] They are asking for a fight,” McGregor said. “There are hundreds of millions at stake. What’s up? He said, “I don’t want to take a kick.” You have to respect that.”
While McGregor said he held no ill will toward Crawford’s decision, he made sure to tell him what he left on the table.
“We would have made a lot of money,” Crawford said, referring to what McGregor told him.
McGregor is recovering from a toe injury that delayed his long-awaited return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June. It is not known who his opponent will be when he ends his over four-year break in MMA.
Crawford will win a unanimous decision over Israil Madrimov in August. His goal was to fight Canelo Alvarez in a massive fight, but no agreement was reached for that fight.