Ilia Topuria calls out Terence Crawford for lying about meeting him as crossover feud intensifies

The intense feud between combat superstars Ilia Topuria and Terence Crawford continues to escalate.

Terence Crawford added to his spotless legacy with a dominant win over Canelo Alvarez in their boxing superfight last weekend in Las Vegas. After months of hype, Crawford put on one of the best performances of his career to capture Alvarez’s super middleweight titles after moving up multiple weight classes.

Before the Alvarez fight, Crawford and UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria traded subtle jabs in the media, especially after Topuria promised to ‘knock out’ Crawford in a potential fight. After defeating Alvarez, Crawford explained on The Ariel Helwani Show that he’s never seen Topuria fight, nor does he entertain the possibility of a crossover matchup.

To little surprise, it didn’t take long for Topuria to hit back at Crawford’s remarks.

Ilia Topuria/Terence Crawford feud escalates just days after Canelo Alvarez fight

In a recent post to X, Topuria responded to Crawford’s recent claims.

“You say you’re an MMA fan but you don’t even know who I am… interesting,” Topuria began. “The first time we met you told me ‘good luck this week with your fight.’ Your memory fails you… and soon your chin will too.

“I’ll represent the entire MMA community. Pound-for-pound #1 in real fights vs the pound-for-pound boxer.”

In a follow-up tweet, Topuria posted a clip of Crawford on the FULL SEND PODCAST, at which Crawford admits he’s seen Topuria’s fights.

“You’re literally an idiot,” Topuria said.

Topuria captured the UFC lightweight title by finishing Charles Oliveira in a nasty knockout at UFC 317. A date and opponent for Topuria’s first lightweight title defense haven’t been announced, as of this writing.

Crawford could potentially rematch Alvarez at a later date after their showdown last weekend. A potential superfight with David Benavidez is also a possibility for Crawford’s next super middleweight title matchup.

In the meantime, it appears Topuria and Crawford have different challenges in front of them. But as their feud intensifies, don’t be surprised if we get a crossover fight announcement in the coming months.