Topuria confidently stated he could "put Crawford to sleep" with a single punch if they faced off in boxing. Crawford didn't take kindly to the boast and fired back during a media event for his upcoming fight.
"That dude's drunk. You know, a lot of MMA guys, they drink a lot, so he must have been on that alcohol that day."
Crawford questioned Topuria's boxing skills and emphasized how difficult it is for MMA fighters to transition to boxing successfully. The boxing champ's dismissive response only fired up Topuria more.
The UFC fighter refused to back down and expressed frustration at boxers criticizing MMA fighters.
"What bothers me lately is that a lot of boxers come out, interfere with our game, criticize us, and try to put us down."
Topuria pointed out there's an imbalance in cross-sport challenges and doubled down on his readiness to face Crawford in any combat setting.
"Whenever he wants to measure himself, whenever he wants to test his technique and skills, I am here to show him."
Crawford's currently focused on his upcoming fight against Canelo Álvarez, where he'll try to become a three-division undisputed champion. The verbal sparring with Topuria has only drummed up more interest in Crawford's already highly-anticipated bout.
This latest clash brings the ongoing debate about MMA vs boxing supremacy back into the spotlight. Ever since the high-profile 2017 boxing match between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, there's been constant discussion about crossover potential between the two combat sports.
As MMA and boxing continue to evolve and intersect, fans can expect more of these heated exchanges between champions from both disciplines. Whether any of the talk leads to actual cross-sport matchups remains to be seen.