Boxer Terence Crawford said he rejected a two-fight deal with Conor McGregor because it would have required them to fight once in the Octagon.
Crawford, who has no experience as a mixed martial arts fighter, said the offer came from Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. McGregor, in a separate interview, confirmed details of a two-fight offer that would have pitted the men in the boxing ring, too.
“They offered me the fight,” Crawford, a four-division boxing champion, said in an interview with Bernie Tha Boxer. “Me and Conor got on the phone and started politicking to try and figure something out. Man, I’m not getting in no (expletive) Octagon with you so you can be kicking and elbowing me!”
McGregor, the former UFC champion, helped usher in the current era of crossover fights when he boxed Floyd Mayweather in 2017 – an event that sold more than 4 million pay-per-views. McGregor, 36, has not fought since 2021 and in June he cited an injury in withdrawing from a UFC bout against Michael Chandler.
McGregor has said he plans to fight in 2025.
Of the Crawford deal, McGregor told Duelbits, “It’s going to be hundreds of millions on the line. What’s up? He (Crawford) said, ‘I don’t want to take a kick.’ You got to respect that.”
Crawford, 37, is coming off a victory over Israil Madrimov in August and has been angling for a fight against Canelo Alvarez.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Terence Crawford rejects two-fight deal with Conor McGregor
