Ilia Topuria recently shared his admiration for certain boxing legends and expressed a desire to challenge Shakur Stevenson in the ring.
Topuria stands out as a prominent figure in mixed martial arts, celebrated for his exceptional striking skills. He holds an impressive 17-0 record as the UFC lightweight champion, securing 15 wins by finish. In contrast, Stevenson is a leading name in boxing, maintaining an unbeaten 25-0 record in his professional career. Both athletes have exchanged verbal jabs online recently, signaling their mutual interest in a potential boxing match.
During a conversation with VicBlends, Topuria discussed the boxers he enjoys watching:
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“I love watching Julio Cesar Chavez, Canelo Alvarez, [Vasiliy] Lomachenko, Mike Tyson, Oleksandr Usyk.”
Regarding Stevenson, Topuria commented:
“He’s [Stevenson] a good fighter. The only bad thing about him, he talks too much… He has some hate for me. Honestly, I feel I can go to boxing and face the best in the world… If it happens, I’ll be happy. Specifically, if it happens against Shakur, someone who talks too much, it would be great.”
When Ilia Topuria claimed he could beat Shakur Stevenson and Terence Crawford together
Earlier this year, Ilia Topuria asserted that he could defeat both Shakur Stevenson and Terence Crawford simultaneously in a confined space.
During a live stream with Adin Ross (via @HappyPunch on X), Topuria emphasized his confidence in his MMA abilities over their boxing techniques, stating:
“In a fight, I whoop the floor with both of them. In MMA? Listen, if we’re sharing this room right now, me, Crawford, and Shakur, and someone has to make the bet, who do you think’s gonna do it?… You only know one part of the fighting game, which is boxing, but you don’t know everything about it. Wrestling, the ground game, it’s different.”
Edited by Nishant Zende.
