Terence Crawford Rejects Two-Fight Deal with Conor McGregor, Citing No Interest in Octagon Combat

Despite McGregor’s Persuasion and Potential Earnings, Crawford Remains Firm on Avoiding the MMA Arena

Terence Crawford rejects a crossover fight against Conor McGregor / Facebook.

By Moses Ochieng

Undefeated boxer Terence Crawford revealed that he turned down a two-fight deal with Conor McGregor because he wasn’t interested in stepping into the Octagon. Crawford said he spoke to McGregor on the phone, where he explained that he had no desire to participate due to the risk of being kicked or elbowed. Despite McGregor’s attempts to persuade him by highlighting the potential for huge earnings, Crawford remained uninterested.

McGregor, 36, is no stranger to crossover events, having famously boxed Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Though McGregor lost by 10th-round TKO, he reportedly made over $100 million. The fight generated a live gate of $55.5 million and 4.3 million pay-per-view buys, the second-highest in boxing history. McGregor has not fought in MMA since 2021, losing his last two matches and having not secured a win since 2020.

Terence Crawford, 37, widely considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, recently secured a close 12-round unanimous decision victory over WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd. In his 154-pound debut, Crawford struggled to impress, displaying signs of aging, diminished power, and ring rust. The win was largely attributed to Madrimov's passive approach in the later rounds, which allowed Crawford to edge out the fight.

“They offered me the fight and me and Conor got on the phone. I just told him, ‘I’m not getting in no octagon with you so you can be kicking me and elbowing me,'” Terence Crawford told Bernie Tha Boxer in an interview.

This is yet another instance of Crawford displaying a lack of ambition, as a fight against McGregor would likely earn him more money than his next potential bout, which could be against WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora.

“He was just laughing and was like, ‘Man, I respect that. But we’d make a ton of money.’ Sometimes, it ain’t about the money. I can make money, but you ain’t about to be kicking me, dude,” added Crawford.

McGregor is a savvy businessman, always looking to set up fights with various opponents. In the Octagon, Crawford wouldn’t stand a chance unless he managed a knockout before being kicked or taken down. Once on the ground, McGregor's extensive knowledge of submission holds would make it nearly impossible for Crawford to recover.

Though Crawford has some wrestling experience, he wisely understands that stepping into a sport that involves leg kicks isn’t a good idea, especially after spending 37 years without any training in defending against them.

While McGregor’s popularity has waned, a fight between him and Crawford would still generate significant revenue thanks to their large fan bases.