In entrance of a record-breaking crowd of 70,000 at Allegiant Stadium, Terence Crawford made historical past by turning into the primary fighter of the four-belt period to assert undisputed titles in three completely different weight lessons, defeating Canelo Alvarez in an all-time traditional. Coming in because the underdog and transferring up two divisions, the nonetheless undefeated 42-0 juggernaut placed on a masterclass. He shut down Alvarez’s energy, refusing to let him land his trademark heavy photographs. The judges in the end scored it 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113 in Crawford’s favor. Take a look at our full battle breakdown:
However the battle wasn’t the one factor making headlines. Crawford’s ring entrance additionally sparked controversy after he walked out to Ilia Topuria’s signature monitor, ‘Canción del Mariachi’ by Antonio Banderas. The selection raised eyebrows, given the heated back-and-forth between Crawford and Topuria throughout battle week.
Ilia Topuria Vows to Make Terence Crawford Pay After Walkout Tune ‘Theft’
Crawford’s walkout carried a powerful Mexican taste, showing at first to be a nod to Alvarez’s heritage. However given his heated exchanges with Topuria throughout battle week, many noticed it as a deliberate jab on the reigning UFC light-weight champion.
When requested about it on the post-fight press convention, Crawford insisted he had no concept the music was Topuria’s trademark Octagon entrance. Laughing it off, he merely stated, “Oh, good for him.”
Terence Crawford simply occurred use the identical music as Ilia Topuria after they had been beefing this week 👀😂pic.twitter.com/HnE3m169hQ
— Completely happy Punch (@HappyPunch) September 14, 2025
That response didn’t sit effectively with ‘El Matador,’ who shortly took to social media to fireside again with a fiery message of his personal.
The Spaniard wrote on X, “First he calls me drunk… then he walks out to MY music. Crawford, everytime you need, I’ll train you the right way to dance that mariachi within the ring. And Canelo, I’ll prevent a spherical after him.”
ALSO READ: Canelo Alvarez Hails Boxing Over UFC as Dana White Seems to be On Smiling
First he calls me drunk… then he walks out to MY music. Crawford, everytime you need, I’ll train you the right way to dance that mariachi within the ring. And Canelo, I’ll prevent a spherical after him.
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) September 14, 2025
The remarks got here after Crawford clapped again at Topuria’s daring declare that he might knock out ‘Bud’ with a single contact in the event that they ever fought. The five-division world champion dismissed the thought, calling Topuria “drunk” and arguing that MMA fighters can’t survive in a boxing ring in opposition to elite-level expertise.
Their rivalry first flared up when Crawford named Cody Garbrandt, not Topuria, as the most effective pure boxer in UFC historical past. That struck a nerve with many MMA followers, particularly since Topuria has constructed his popularity on knockout energy, stopping three legends within the type of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira in a row.
At simply 28, Topuria additionally grew to become the primary undefeated fighter to seize UFC titles in two weight lessons. In contrast, Garbrandt’s shining second got here when he beat Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight crown, however he has since misplaced 7 of his final 10 fights.
Many followers are already calling for one more two-division UFC champion to step into the boxing ring in opposition to an all-time nice, identical to Conor McGregor did in 2017 when he confronted Floyd Mayweather however fell brief.
Nevertheless, Dana White, who promoted Crawford vs. Canelo because the launch occasion for his new TKO Boxing banner, shut down the thought of Topuria crossing over. On the pre-fight press convention, he stated, “I definitely hope not.”
Then again, Topuria appears wanting to make it occur. Talking earlier this week on the WOW 22’s presser, he stated, “I hope I can battle him (Crawford). It’s one thing I wish to do, and I don’t suppose he (UFC president Dana White) would cease me from chasing a dream.”
With tensions escalating, this rivalry has all of the makings of the following blockbuster MMA vs. boxing crossover, although whether or not it truly materializes continues to be unsure.
