McGregor claims Crawford turned down a two-fight deal to fight him.
In December, Terence Crawford announced his retirement from professional boxing. In doing so, he walked away undefeated in 42 fights and having recently defeated Canelo Álvarez to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion.
A five-division titlist who held all the belts across three separate weights, Crawford is undoubtedly one of the greatest boxers of our generation. And at the time he hung up the gloves, he was officially ranked at the top of the pound-for-pound list.
There have been rumours that he could return, but so far, the American has remained adamant that he will not step into the ring again. And given his list of accomplishments, the majority of fans are satisfied with this.
But according to UFC legend Conor McGregor, Crawford previously turned down a two-fight offer to face him once each in their respective disciplines.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, McGregor stated yesterday, “I’m in this bleedin’ suite with Turki [Alalshikh] and a big gang of these people, right? … This was ’round one of the U.K. bouts, the stadium bout.
“We have a nice rapport, me and these guys. But anyway, they’re presenting bout opportunities, and then the Terence Crawford one came up.”
McGregor stated that Crawford turned down this offer over a phone call, saying, “Gets on the phone, ‘What’s the crack, Terence? It’s the Mac Daddy. I got the big fella [Turki Alalshikh] here. We’ve got a big deal for you. It’s hundreds of millions. 200 million, to be exact. Mixed martial arts against me and a boxing one against you.'”
According to McGregor, Crawford stated that he did not want to be kicked, leading him to walk away from the offer.
McGregor, of course, is no stranger to fighting undefeated American boxing stars in crossover events, having faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in one of the most lucrative pugilistic affairs in 2017.
Following comments Crawford made towards Ilia Topuria after the UFC Freedom 250 event earlier this week, McGregor has engaged in an online spat with the former boxing champion.
However, unless Crawford emulates Mayweather and comes out of retirement, it appears a contest with the Irishman is dead in the water.
Conor McGregor reveals there were discussions for a two-fight deal with Terence Crawford worth $200 million involving Turki Alalshikh, but says Crawford ultimately declined:
“I got on the phone, ‘What’s the craic, Terence? It’s the Mac Daddy. I got [Turki] here. We’ve got a big… pic.twitter.com/NpkkCblSG3
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 16, 2026
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