Terence Crawford is preparing to cement his legacy in boxing as he looks to dethrone undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez this coming Saturday (September 13).
The American is moving up two weight classes and will be looking to take home Canelo's belts, which would make him an undisputed champion in three weight divisions.
A win for Crawford would also see him be considered as one of the very best fighters of this generation, if not the best.
Ahead of the much-anticipated showdown in Las Vegas, the undefeated Nebraska-born fighter has been publicly called out by one of the star names in MMA.
Current UFC lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria, took to social media over the weekend to ask his followers who would win in a potential crossover fight between him and Crawford.
Topuria is a two-weight world champion in the UFC and currently sits as the no. 1 fighter in the current UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
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Topuria's take on a potential fight with Crawford
Less than a day after putting up the initial post on X, Topuria followed up with another post, which outlined what he would do to Crawford if the pair fought.
"I won’t talk about what would happen between me and Crawford in an octagon, I’ll talk about what would happen in a ring. I put him to sleep in the first contact !!," the post from the UFC star read.
I won’t talk about what would happen between me and Crawford in an octagon I’ll talk about what would happen in a ring.
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) September 7, 2025
I put him to sleep in the first contact !!
Considering Crawford is one of the very best boxers at this time, many will struggle to see how Topuria, who has not participated in a professional boxing contest before, would even cause the slightest damage to the American in the ring.
Also, MMA fighters have typically struggled when engaging with professional boxers in crossover boxing bouts.
Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor was outclassed by boxing icon Floyd Mayweather in 2017, and ex-heavyweight UFC champion Francis Ngannou was brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua inside two rounds last year.
However, Ngannou did fare well against Tyson Fury in a boxing contest two years ago, as he knocked the former WBC heavyweight champion down in the second round, before narrowly losing via a split decision on points.
Crawford is unlikely to pay any real attention to Topuria's comments as he will be fully locked in on Saturday's mega fight against Canelo at the Allegiant Stadium.