Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford recently weighed in on a fighter’s comments regarding the ongoing boxing versus MMA discussion.
WBO and The Ring junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson was the latest voice to weigh in, questioning the striking ability of MMA fighters while aiming his comments at Ilia Topuria.
UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley responded quickly, standing up for his side of the argument and defending MMA’s place in the discussion.
‘New Mansa’ heard those comments and stated unequivocally which fighting discipline he believes is home to the ‘real’ fighters – and it is not boxing.
Terence Crawford reacts to Joaquin Buckley’s comments on boxing vs. MMA
The question of which sport has the best fighters, boxing or MMA, has been around ever since Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather squared off. It is one of those debates that never really goes away.
Buckley joined the back-and-forth between the athletes, asserting that he would completely defeat Stevenson if they were to meet outside of a formal setting.
“Y’all boxers are so disrespectful to us athletes in the UFC,” Buckley posted on Instagram.
“Shakur, I’m on you…Stop disrespecting us, bro. We are way more entertaining than y’all. It just is what it is.
“If we came outside right now, I could kill you. I’m not saying I wanna kill you or wanna take you off this Earth, but realistically, I would kill you if we fought.”
But it was not Stevenson who fired back first.
Terence Crawford weighed in on social media, brushing off Buckley’s comments and suggesting there is a reason he has not climbed to the top of his division yet.
“(Laughing emojis) Yeah I can see why he’s nowhere near the top. This guy clueless,” ‘Bud’ posted.
“Who’s even fighting in the streets anymore? Talking about who he can kill in the streets. He must (have) forgot they make switches for them kind of tough guys.”
The boxing legend also addressed a supporter’s comment that predicted Buckley would defeat Stevenson: “Yeah in his dreams.”
Joaquin Buckley sets sights on the UFC welterweight division
It wasn’t just the boxing world that Joaquin Buckley aimed his frustration at recently.
‘New Mansa’ also directed criticism towards his fellow UFC welterweights, accusing them of not staying active enough.
He said in an Instagram video: “Right now, the division is on standstill. The matchmakers know their job. They know better than me what they’re doing, but right now they’ve got the hottest division and ain’t nobody fighting.
“You’ve got Islam out there playing Wrestleball. You’ve got (Carlos) Prates out there partying and clubbing. You’ve got (Michael) Morales out there twerking and twirling. You’ve got JDM (Jack Della Maddalena) still at the house crying. You’ve got Leon (Edwards) missing again. You’ve got Belal (Muhammed) trying to sell War Meals. You’ve got Ian Garry watching in the corner.”
Buckley added: “We’ve got to get things active…that’s the truth,” he continued. “I’m ready to see what we’re capable of doing in 2026 because right now, we all wasting time. Every single person that’s at the welterweight division is wasting time.”
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