A two-fight deal, one fight to take place under boxing rules, the other to take place in the cage, under MMA rules. And reigning pound-for-pound king (in the opinion of many) Terence Crawford said, “hell, no,” even though there were said to be “hundreds of millions” on the table for him to twice dance (and grapple) with Conor McGregor.
Crawford, speaking with Bernie Tha Boxer on YouTube, explained why he took a pass on the huge money offer that was presented to both he and McGregor by Saudi money man, Turki Alalshikh.
“I told Conor, ‘Hell, no,’” Crawford said. “I told him, ‘Man, I ain’t getting into no f*****g Octagon with you so you can be kicking me and elbowing me and s**t. He started laughing, and he said, ‘Man, I respect it. You respect my sport just like I respect your sport, and you understand that if you get in an Octagon, you’re going to be at a disadvantage. Just like if I get into the boxing ring with you, I’m going to be at a disadvantage.’ But he was like, ‘We’ll make a s**t ton of money.’ I said, ‘Yeah, sometimes it ain’t about the money. I can make money, but you ain’t about to be kicking me, dude. Kicks and elbows, man, that s**t ain’t no joke.”
Credit to Crawford for saying no when being tempted with one huge cash carrot. Crawford’s legacy is secure and he may well exit boxing as an unbeaten fighter. Okay, so a loss to McGregor in the cage would not have counted on his boxing record, but we know Crawford would have lost in an MMA fight with McGregor, the same way we know McGregor would have lost, and badly, to Crawford in a boxing match. Yes, the hype might have been fun, but would either of the two fights have been worth watching, indeed worth paying to watch?
We’ve seen too many crossover fights now, and they are getting old. Heck, it was overs seven years ago when McGregor was well beaten by Floyd Mayweather in their hyped but ultimately and expectedly one-sided bout. Crawford’s next move will be one of interest, and he may not even fight again. But for sure, even the promise of many millions of dollars is not enough to see Crawford risk sullying his good name, embarrassing himself, or risk getting hurt.
Again, credit to Crawford for refusing to be tempted by the mighty dollar.
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