He’s an unbeaten warrior with a flawless record. Only his conquests take place not in a boxing ring but inside the octagon. So impressive are his achievements that many boxing champions might envy his track record. Over 40% of Ilia Topuria‘s victories have come by way of knockout. Since 2020, only three of his bouts have gone the full distance. And with his latest, a first-round finish of Charles Oliveira, he’s maintained a knockout rampage that began when he claimed the UFC featherweight title on February 17 last year. Unsurprisingly, many have lauded the Georgian-Spanish fighter’s boxing skills. So why not test those hands against a true boxer?

Back in 2017, Conor McGregor broke ground by stepping into the boxing world to face Floyd Mayweather in one of the most lucrative fights in history. If McGregor could pull it off, why not Topuria? While some may see it as wishful thinking, it seems the UFC’s new lightweight champion has been closely following the McGregor blueprint. Just seven weeks from now, one of this era’s biggest boxing showdowns will take place at Allegiant Stadium, where Canelo Alvarez will defend his undisputed title against Terence Crawford. So with the support of Turki Alalshikh, Topuria believes he could challenge the winner of that blockbuster bout.

“I would love to go to boxing. That’s something that I want to do,” said Topuria as he took Nelk Boys’ Kyle Forgeard for a car ride. He emphasized the importance of Alalshikh’s backing in making such a transition. He also pointed to boxing’s long-standing issue where top fighters often avoid one another. A trend that seems to be shifting, as evidenced by the highly anticipated Canelo vs. Crawford matchup.

Though Topuria hasn’t singled out a specific opponent, he made it clear he’s eyeing the victor of the upcoming September 3 showdown. “I would love to go against the winner of Canelo and Crawford,” he reiterated. The only hesitation? “I don’t want to have that rivalry with Canelo because he was my idol, and I have learned so many things from him.”

This crossover idea came up shortly after Topuria addressed speculation about a potential UFC bout against Islam Makhachev, possibly to be held at the White House UFC card. He also discussed the number of fights left on his current UFC contract. Still, he seemed unfazed by contractual obligations.

So Forgeard brought up a potential switch to boxing.

El Matador: Gloves beyond the cage

“But once you’re out of that contract, then, like, then you could do a boxing fight if you want to, right? You don’t even need their permission,” Forgeard stated. Topuria responded with confidence: “Even I still have fights in the UFC. You always can ask them to let you go to the boxing. But it seems like they did it with Conor. Why not with me?”

It’s a bold vision from a fighter who’s recently been making headlines with his fists.

Back in 2003, UFC allowed Chuck Liddell to compete in Japan’s PRIDE Championship. But it wasn’t until 2017, fourteen years later, that Dana White greenlit Conor McGregor‘s high-profile bout against Floyd Mayweather. With the launch of Zuffa Boxing, a joint effort between TKO Holdings and Riyadh Season, another crossover megafight feels inevitable.

What do you think? Given his talent, discipline, and rising stardom, could Ilia Topuria make a major impact in the boxing world?