‘I wish him all one of the best’

UFC star Ilia Topuria will now not hound Terence Crawford with callouts after the boxing legend selected to hold up his gloves.

Crawford beat Canelo Alvarez last September after moving up two divisions to challenge the Mexican pound-for-pound great for undisputed super middleweight status.

‘Bud’s’ memorable upset in Las Vegas meant he became the primary male fighter within the four-belt era to win the undisputed championship in three separate weight classes.

That turned out to be the American’s farewell, with Crawford retiring from boxing three months later. Because of this, one in all his rivals from across the combat sports realm has swapped the trash talk for pleasantries.

For those who can only watch one fighter, are you picking Alex Pereira or Ilia Topuria?

Make your pick and explain why within the comments below.

Terence Crawford backtracks on Terence Crawford remarks to wish him well in retirement

Amid his rise to the highest within the UFC, former featherweight champion and current lightweight king Topuria has had one eye on the boxing ring.

After Conor McGregor crossed over to fight Floyd Mayweather, numerous other MMA names have looked to check their skills within the ring. ‘El Matador’ is amongst the most recent, having won two titles within the Octagon largely because of his striking talents.

The Spaniard set his sights on Crawford, vowing to KO ‘Bud’ in the event that they ever shared the squared circle. That sparked some heated exchanges between Topuria and Crawford, which didn’t result in a super-fight.

The American as an alternative retired, and that call has prompted a change in tone from Topuria in the case of how he speaks in regards to the boxing legend.

“Now that he’s retired, congrats to him for a tremendous profession that he had,” Topuria said during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show.

“He’s one in all those boxers that I like to look at. I actually have learned many, many things from his style, so I don’t wanna even talk or challenge him because he’s retired.

“So I wish him all one of the best to him and his family,” he added.

While Crawford enjoys retirement, Topuria still has plenty that he wants to realize in combat sports.

That features a historic three-weight achievement, with the Spaniard targeting Islam Makhachev’s welterweight gold. Before seeking to move up again, nonetheless, he must defend the belt at 155 kilos for the primary time.

Topuria will return against Justin Gaethje within the UFC White House essential event, because the pair unify the lightweight titles 11 months on from the champion’s crowning against Charles Oliveira.