Terence Crawford has dismissed Conor McGregor’s claim that he turned down a $200 million offer for a pair of crossover fights, insisting no such proposal was ever put in front of him.
With Conor McGregor preparing for his long-awaited UFC return against Max Holloway at UFC 329, the Irish superstar has been making headlines with a series of media appearances. During one of those interviews, McGregor claimed that Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh had offered him and Terence Crawford $200 million to compete in two crossover bouts — one under boxing rules and another in MMA.
According to Terence Crawford, that version of events is far from the truth.
“That was a lie,” Crawford told Yahoo Sports. “It was cap. It wasn’t never no $200 million offer.They asked me would I do it, and I told them, ‘You ain’t about to be kicking on me, Conor.’ We were on FaceTime, and I did tell him that. But they didn’t say, ‘Hey, you got $200 million. You fight him in boxing and MMA.’ That was never the case.”
The former undisputed champion explained that while there were informal discussions about the possibility of a fight, no official proposal or financial figures were ever presented to him.
“If it was said to me, I could say there was an offer, but if nothing is previewed to me, I can’t say what is what. He’s making up numbers, in my head.”
While the fight never materialized, Terence Crawford admitted he likely would have considered the opportunity if a legitimate offer of that magnitude had landed on his table earlier in his career.
The boxing great, who retired after defeating Canelo Alvarez and cementing his legacy as one of the sport’s all-time greats, said the timing would have made all the difference.
“I would have done it. Why wouldn’t I?” Crawford said.”I don’t need to do it now. Back then, it would have been a good deal. Right now, where I’m sitting at, I don’t need to do it. I’m in a different space in my life right now where I don’t have to take those fights.Back then, I probably would have took it. I would have been like, ‘Alright, let’s do it.'”
Despite having limited grappling experience from his wrestling background, Crawford remains confident that he would have been a difficult challenge for McGregor, particularly in striking exchanges.
“Conor’s not the best wrestler. I’m not saying I’m the best wrestler either, though, but I know standing up, it’s only going to take one good shot, and I’m going to put him to sleep. He’s going to try to kick me, and takedowns, we’re just going to do what we do.”
For now, any talk of a crossover showdown remains firmly in the realm of what could have been. Terence Crawford appears content with life after boxing and has no plans to reverse his retirement decision.
After becoming just the second male boxer in history to win undisputed world titles in three weight divisions, Crawford believes he has accomplished everything he set out to achieve in the sport.
“I’m happily retired, and I don’t see myself coming back,” Crawford said. “Done done.”
While McGregor continues his preparations for UFC 329, Terence Crawford has made one thing clear: the much-talked-about $200 million crossover offer never existed from his perspective, and any opportunity for a blockbuster clash between the two combat sports stars has likely passed for good.
