A new player has entered into the Conor McGregor sweepstakes, from the most unlikely of places.
Bob Arum, Top Rank CEO and one of the top line names on Dana White’s enemies list, told ESPN that he’s interested in setting up a fight between welterweight boxing champion Terence Crawford and McGregor in a two-fight series.
“You’ve got an elite boxer in Terence Crawford fighting an elite MMA guy in Conor McGregor under MMA rules,” Arum told ESPN on Wednesday of an MMA/Boxing series. “You don’t think that would be interesting and something the public would want to see? I think it’s very realistic.”
“Whenever they are ready, we are ready. We’d do the MMA fight first if that’s what they
“I’m a fighter first. As a fighter, I would entertain it,” Crawford told ESPN as he awaits his first fight of 2020. “I just have to have the proper time to prepare myself. It would be a little more than boxing training. I haven’t been in that [wrestling] environment in a long time, but most definitely I feel I can compete with anyone given the proper time to train on the MMA side, being that I have a wrestling background. McGregor would have to worry about my stand-up game as well. It would be interesting. He’s got good kicks and he’s strong. I’d have to prepare myself for those things, but I feel I would be all right.”
“I can’t get none of these top welterweights in the ring to fight me so whatever is clever. I’m with it all,”
“Fighting Crawford would be great for McGregor because he has no chance in a boxing match except to pick up a check,” Arum said. “In an MMA match he would be the favorite, but Crawford would have a chance because he’s one tough dude and because he has a wrestling background. I think that Crawford is the one boxer that can compete with an elite MMA guy under MMA rules. We’d do two fights so we can level the playing field by fighting in both disciplines. Mayweather and Pacquiao would never fight under MMA rules. Crawford would.”
“I always had the talent for wrestling but I liked to throw my hands. I liked punching people in the face more than hugging them,” Crawford said. “My dad was a wrestler, my uncle and my grandfather wrestled, and they were always teaching me the moves. I just liked boxing more.
“A lot of people may say if Terence goes into the Octagon he will get crushed but they don’t know me.”