Bob Arum lays out two-fight plan for Conor McGregor vs Terence Crawford using MMA and boxing rules, will speak to Dana White
Bob Arum 'would love' to see WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford fight Conor McGregor.
The 88-year-old Top Rank chief explained that, ideally, there would be two bouts between the pair - one using boxing rules and the other a mixed martial arts contest.
"Crawford has a background in wrestling and would not be averse to fighting McGregor with MMA rules," Arum explained to the
"That’s something that has occurred to us in the last couple of days and we will be pursuing that with [UFC president] Dana White."
Prior to his 40-second victory against 'Cowboy' Cerrone at UFC 246, McGregor had been talking up potential lucrative fights against Manny Pacquiao and a rematch with the 50-0 Floyd Mayweather.
The UFC superstar even said he has eyes on a boxing world title.
“It will be hard to leave the MMA game fully, but I think a boxing world title is a great aspiration to have. What a feather in the cap it would be.
“I always want bigger and better and to reach for the stars. I would love the rematch with Floyd Mayweather and I know the Manny one is there whenever I want it."
McGregor's return to the octagon in January saw a gate of $11.1million at the T-Mobile Arena and he estimated he would earn around $80m in total for his effort.
When he fought Mayweather in 2017, it was said he made close to $100m and a super fight against Mayweather or Pacquiao would command similar numbers.
“I done phenomenal in [the Mayweather fight]. And the only reason I lost that bout was because I prepared for a back-footed Philly shell style of opponent. And when the fight was like that, I was picking him apart.
“Then, he came forward and I wasn’t sinking into my shots like I am now with my boxing coaches, guys who are drilling specific boxing things into me again. I know I beat Floyd if we rematch – when we rematch."
And the boxing legend did little to quash any chance of a rematch in the aftermath of his win over Cerrone by posting a 'poster' of their fight on Instagram.
Crawford, 32, is unbeaten in his 36 professional fights, winning his last one in December against Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
He's not in the same realms of superstardom Mayweather and Pacquiao enjoy, but Arum will nonetheless try.
However, both he and White have not had too many complimentary things to say about each other in recent years.
When it emerged, in 2017, that White had designs on moving into the world of boxing promotion, Arum called it a desperate move.
White disagreed.
“F*** him. F*** that guy," he told broadcaster Jim Rome. "This is the same guy who said this same s*** 15 years ago about me and [former co-owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta].
“He said they’re losing oodles and oodles of money and this business was a joke, it was going to go under, nobody will ever be into a sport like this and here we are today.
“This guy is such a jerk off. Literally the biggest piece of s*** in all of sports, Bob Arum, ladies and gentlemen.”
