Conor McGregor must be cursing the distance. If only he were speaking with Terence Crawford in person, he would have let him know how MMA stands out when compared to boxing. For the time being, the Irish star who is set to make a return on July 11 can only jab from afar as Crawford throws shots to establish boxing’s supremacy.

The online back-and-forth between the two combat sport greats follows the comments Terence Crawford made after Ilia Topuria suffered a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje at the White House card. As the retired boxing champion publicly taunted Topuria for calling out both him and his protege Shakur Stevenson, Conor McGregor launched a blistering response. Later, the exchange turned personal after Crawford questioned McGregor’s sobriety.

“Don’t be scared, homie. MMA KINGS LIKE US 🤴 😉,” the Irish star promptly replied.

The exchange echoes a previous point of disagreement when the pair were reportedly engaged in talks for a fight. It was supposed to be a two-fight deal, one a boxing match and another an MMA bout. Eventually, as it turned out, while McGregor expressed interest, Crawford backed out, saying he doesn’t want to get inside an octagon “with you so you can be kicking and elbowing me!”

The Twitter exchange didn’t end there, though. As he usually does, Crawford was on a posting spree where he randomly shared his thoughts on how boxing reigns supreme as far as combat sports go.

“Still till this day, no matter what y’all say or how you feel Boxing is still and will forever be the hardest sport to do at a top level. 🤫,” he wrote.

However, he soon received a response, with McGregor posting a cryptic message: “I guess we’ll never know.”

Crawford wasn’t about to let the matter rest. He fired back by suggesting that a closer look might reveal the truth behind his words. In his view, McGregor himself should appreciate the difficulty of boxing better than most after sharing the ring with Floyd Mayweather nine years ago.

Later, in a separate tweet, Crawford expanded on that argument. He argued that boxing is the foundational combat skill that athletes and even non-fighters actively seek out, whereas MMA doesn’t have the same universal appeal or influence outside its own domain. Therefore, boxing occupies a higher position in the sporting landscape.

Whether or not that line of reasoning had any impact on McGregor is speculative. What is certain is that Crawford’s words and the former UFC champion’s exchange triggered a fierce backlash that saw fans and users split into opposing camps, with the usual barbs centering on which combat sport, boxing or MMA, is superior.

Terence Crawford and Conor McGregor reopen the boxing vs. MMA divide

Much of that reaction appeared to favor the MMA side of the argument. Viewed through that lens, Conor McGregor’s stance appears easier for many fans to embrace, despite Crawford’s vigorous defense of boxing.

Predictably, supporters of the MMA side pointed to examples that showcase how boxers often struggle to adjust to fighting with their full arsenal, including kicks, takedowns, and ground-and-pound. One of the most frequently cited examples remains former world champion and boxing legend James “Lights Out” Toney’s failed attempt in 2010. A former three-division champion held in high regard for his defensive skills, Toney failed to meet the moment when he faced MMA icon Randy Couture, resulting in a first-round loss at UFC 118.

No recognizable name from boxing has since followed in Toney’s footsteps. The reverse, however – from MMA to boxing – has been considerably more common. Besides McGregor’s famous PPV-generating act against Mayweather, recent examples include Francis Ngannou, who fought Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and Rico Verhoeven, who suffered a controversial loss to Oleksandr Usyk last month.

It’s worth noting Crawford’s comments are not really about fighting effectiveness between MMA and boxing. He’s making a prestige and influence argument. He is talking about cultural relevance and skill transferability.

While many fans challenged Crawford’s claims about fighting superiority, the financial side of the debate is harder to dispute. Massive payouts remain one of boxing’s strongest advantages over several sports, including MMA, with its top tier taking home multi-million dollar purses, while mixed martial artists still have to settle for figures that still remain difficult to compare despite recent changes.

It doesn’t appear the boxing vs. MMA debate is going away anytime soon. For now, fans can sit back and enjoy as two iconic names continue to shadowbox from behind across their social media accounts.