Boxing star predicts Terence Crawford would choke Ilia Topuria ‘to death’ in potential fight

Shakur Stevenson believes Terence Crawford would finish UFC champion Ilia Topuria inside the Octagon.

Talks of a potential crossover fight between newly minted super middleweight boxing champion Terence Crawford and UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria have skyrocketed in recent days. Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision in their superfight last weekend to add to his stellar resume.

In the days since the Alvarez fight, Topuria has continued to make a strong case for a crossover bout with Crawford, despite the latter’s lack of interest. Crawford shut down potentially fighting Topuria and scoffed at comparisons between the UFC lightweight champ and Conor McGregor.

If Crawford and Topuria were to fight in MMA, however, one of Crawford’s star boxing colleagues believes he’d get the better of Topuria.

Shakur Stevenson predicts Terence Crawford would beat Ilia Topuria in an MMA fight

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Shakur Stevenson weighed in on a potential Crawford vs. Topuria superfight.

“Those [UFC] guys need to leave Bud alone,” Stevenson said.

“If you’re talking about getting in the boxing ring with him, you’re not going to last more than one round, I don’t think. Bud is a guy, that I wouldn’t be surprised if he went to the UFC and beat the s*** out of some guys too. He’s got a great wrestling background, I’ve seen him wrestle real wrestlers on some everyday s***.

“I think that dude’s just different,” Stevenson continued on Crawford. “Bud’s bigger than [Topuria], I just wouldn’t put it past him. I wouldn’t be surprised, come fight night, if they do an MMA fight, if Bud done knocked him out or choked him to death, something like that. I just wouldn’t be surprised.”

Crawford’s first experience in combat sports came in wrestling while growing up in Nebraska. While he eventually transitioned to boxing, he remains an avid supporter of wrestling and has attended numerous UFC events.

Topuria, known for his elite MMA boxing, is also a crafty grappler inside the Octagon. He’s earned one submission in his UFC tenure, against Bryce Mitchell at UFC 282.