Joaquin Buckley Issues Open Challenge to Terence Crawford

The newfound beef between UFC fighter Joaquin Buckley and boxing superstar Terence Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) seems to have spilled outside the social media realm. And it looks like Buckley will stop at nothing to don his gloves against Crawford.

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Taking to Instagram, Buckley issued a challenge to Crawford, calling him out for a sparring session.

“Bud is talking crazy, acting like he would do something in the streets, saying he is going to flip the switch, he is going to need the switch if he is playing with me,” he said. “Let’s get in the ring, let’s spar. You are out in Vegas a lot, you spar at the Apex, you work at the Apex. I think it would be fun. The whole world would like to watch. I know you still train for the lifestyle, I know you still spar.”

Earlier this week, Shakur Stevenson appeared on a live stream and basically said that boxing is way better than MMA and that the UFC will never hold a candle to boxing, dismissing the idea that MMA fighters are superior or even as skilled. This statement rubbed Buckley the wrong way, and he responded very aggressively on social media, calling out Stevenson.

Crawford quickly jumped in Stevenson’s defence and mocked Buckley’s “street fight” talk. He called his comments ridiculous and poking fun at the idea of old-school street fights, which only fanned the flames of the larger boxing-vs-MMA debate Buckley was trying to stoke.

“I see Shakur thinks something is funny, but at the end of the day, let’s find out because I am dead serious about that,”Buckley continued. “Somebody said you want a payday, this ain’t got nothing to do with a payday, I’m willing to do this for free. This is an open invitation to Bud Crawford. Let’s do it at the Apex. I’m going to try to make my way down to Vegas on March 7.”

“Who’s Even Fighting In The Streets Anymore?”

But what actually got Buckley this riled up? After Buckley dissed Stevenson, Crawford took to social media to call him out, saying his tough-guy talk held no weight. And Buckley sure didn’t take it lightly.

“Who’s even fighting in the streets anymore? Talking about who he can kill in the streets,” he tweeted. “He must have forgot they make switches for them kind of tough guys.”

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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