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Terence Crawford brands UFC champion a 'clout chaser' after social media callout
Terence Crawford has dismissed UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria as a ‘clout chaser’ after he called him out for a fight following his win over Canelo Alvarez this past weekend.
Crawford said he has no incentive to get into the ring with Topuria, in an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday.
Crawford said: "I definitely think he's trying to clout-chase. I definitely think he would get in the ring with me for the fight cheque.
“That's what we all do it for, but at the same time, I don't know what the f*** he's doing. I don't know what he's thinking. There ain't even anything to talk about."
The newly crowned undisputed super middleweight champion has been engaged in a brief saga with Topuria following the Spaniard's social media claim that he would knock Crawford out in a boxing ring after the two were seen crossing paths at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
Topuria said last week: “I won’t talk about what would happen between me and Crawford in an octagon, I’ll talk about what would happen in a ring. I put him to sleep in the first contact!!”
Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Crawford simply responded to this by calling Topuria “drunk”. Topuria remained quiet until the American walked out to “Canción del Mariachi” before facing Canelo – the same song the UFC champion uses for his own fights – which prompted him to call out Crawford again after his victory.
He said on social media: “First, he calls [me] drunk, then he walks out to my song. Crawford, whenever you want, I'll teach you how to dance that mariachi in the ring. And Canelo, I'll save you a round after him.”
The three-division undisputed champion fired back at Topuria for not taking the opportunity to call him out in person when they bumped into each other.
Crawford said: "When he saw me at the UFC, he came up to shake my hand and say what's up to me. I ain't even know who he was.
"But then I see him online talking about how he'll knock me out in the first round and now this. Well, if you wanted to fight me, you had the opportunity to tell me, like, 'Hey, man, I want to fight you. What's up?' That's fake."
Although crossover bouts have proved lucrative for all parties involved, with fights such as Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor and Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou as prime examples - Crawford does not believe Topuria has the pull to create a financially enticing enough fight for him.
He said: "What money would I get out of fighting him? Tell me how much I'm going to get out of fighting him? He's nowhere near the level of Conor McGregor. Let's be real. Don't even compare him to Conor."
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