Terence Crawford rejects Conor McGregor’s 2-fight offer worth ‘hundreds of millions’ | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats and Rumors

Terence Crawford is not looking to step into the Octagon with Conor McGregor.

The boxing star revealed he turned down a two-fight offer against McGregor, according to ESPN’s Andreas Hale. Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, offered the two men a two-fight contract that McGregor said would have paid “hundreds of millions”, with one match in the ring and the other in a mixed martial arts showdown.

“They offered me the fight,” Crawford told Bernie Tha Boxer (with Hale). “Conor and I got on the phone and started playing politics to try to find a solution. Man, I’m not going to get in a fucking Octagon with you so you can kick and punch me. elbow !”

There’s a good chance that both fighters would have ended up winning each in their respective sports.

After all, Crawford has never competed in MMA and would face one of the most notable names in the sport, McGregor. As for boxing, the 37-year-old remains one of three boxers to simultaneously hold all four major world titles in two different weight classes and would surely have the advantage inside the ring.

McGregor has at least some boxing experience after facing Floyd Mayweather in 2017.

He held on and lost via 10th round TKO, but that was also seven years ago and before he was sidelined with a toe injury that kept him out of the MMA for over four years.

With that as a backdrop, the UFC fighter understood Crawford’s decision.

“He said to me, ‘I respect that,'” Crawford said of McGregor’s response. “‘You respect my sport just like I respect your sport. You understand that if you stepped into the Octagon with me, I would be at a disadvantage. Just like if I stepped into a boxing ring with you, I would be at a disadvantage. inconvenience.'”

This means fans will have to wait longer for McGregor’s return to the world of combat sports.

He was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June, but a toe injury delayed that appearance and now leaves the identity of his next opponent up in the air.

As for Crawford, he has a record of 66-11 (33 KOs) in the ring and last competed in a unanimous decision victory over Israil Madrimov in August. It remains to be seen who the next opponent will be, although Hale noted that there have been discussions of a high-profile showdown with Canelo Álvarez.