The combat sports world was talking about one of the biggest upsets ever after Terence Crawford put on a clinic of a performance against Canelo Alvarez. The 37-year-old moved a couple of weight classes above to fight a younger and more explosive fighter, and came out as the victor after 12 rounds, winning the undisputed super middleweight title in the process and becoming the first male fighter in boxing history to become undisputed in three weight classes. But then, the attention, at least of the MMA world, quickly shifted from Crawford’s win over Alvarez to a potential fight against UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.

A week before the fight, the Georgian-Spaniard could be seen calling out Terence Crawford on social media, that too for a boxing match. But since Conor McGregor, nobody from the UFC has been able to compete against a boxer while being under contract to the promotion. And it appears that Dana White is keeping things that way and is not willing to budge on his decision not to let anyone get involved in a cross-promotional fight. “I certainly hope not [to promote a Topuria vs Crawford fight],” he recently stated. But things may not be the way they appear because there are a few indicators that, in time, this fight could actually become a reality.

Ilia Topuria is a legitimately good boxer

There is no doubt that wrestling has become an essential aspect of mixed martial arts, especially in the UFC, over the last few years. Well, Ilia Topuria has both wrestling and striking skills, but he has gained most of his fame for his ability to knock his opponents out. Furthermore, Topuria has shown exceptional boxing skills, as most people argue that he could very well be the best boxer in the UFC, and these comments have come even from his rivals’ camps.

Claiming that Ilia Topuria will be more effective inside the boxing ring than the Octagon, Islam Makhachev‘s coach, Javier Mendez, said, “He has the best hands… He’s the best boxer, not striker, that’s another level.” This was after his UFC 317 victory. Hence, there is a chance that ‘El Matador’ does better than Conor McGregor did inside the squared circle, and this would add to Dana White‘s confidence.

Well, the lightweight champion has all the skills, and he’s proven it time and time again. But that’s not the only factor that could prompt Dana White to consider a crossover matchup. The UFC CEO also operates as a boxing promoter now.

Dana White now pulls the strings in both UFC & boxing

Dana White’s involvement in the boxing world on a full-time basis started this year with the Terence Crawford vs Canelo Alvarez super clash. If we take a look at the two boxing events he’s been involved in so far, both of them have been financial successes. We all know how big the Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather fight was. With more than 70,000 people attending the Canelo-Crawford super fight at the Allegiant Stadium and millions watching it worldwide on Netflix, this one was, in all likelihood, a resounding success too. The 56-year-old is, therefore, in a unique position now that he’s heading Zuffa Boxing and UFC, giving him unprecedented control over the combat sports world.

The UFC CEO also has the backing of Saudi sports figurehead HE Turki Alalshikh, which now presents Dana White with an opportunity to make the massive crossover boxing matches that fans dream about. So, he could leverage the interest boxing and MMA fans are showing to make Ilia Topuria fight Terence Crawford because the chit-chat surrounding this potential matchup has risen greatly on social media.

Having established the fact that Ilia Topuria has the skills to box and Dana White has the power to make it happen, we could assume that the chances of him crossing over are high. But there’s another indication that the fight happens, so let us take a look at that front.

Terence Crawford & Ilia Topuria know exactly what they’re doing

Terence Crawford not only raised the eyebrows of the boxing world by beating Canelo Alvarez, but also garnered the attention of the MMA fans with his walkout before the fight. The undefeated boxer walked out to the same song that Topuria does when he walks out to the Octagon, named ‘Canción del mariachi.’ Crawford would later address this, but first, he offered his response to ‘El Matador’s challenge.

Terence Crawford stated that he believes there are a lot of UFC fighters who love alcoholic drinks. As such, he was pretty sure that Ilia Topuria was “drunk” when he called him out for a boxing match. And when it came to using the same walkout song as the UFC champion, ‘Bud’ responded, “Good for him.” That statement prompted a response from Topuria, reiterating that his offer is still on the table.

“First, he calls me drunk… then he walks out to MY song. Crawford, whenever you want, I’ll teach you how to dance that mariachi in the ring. And Canelo, I’ll save you a round after him,” Ilia Topuria wrote on social media, in a bid to generate hype about his potential fight against Terence Crawford.

With Crawford indicating a move to 160 lbs after his win and Topuria currently fighting at 155 lbs in the UFC, there isn’t a great deal of weight difference between the two to make it a questionable move.

Well, it seems like there are a few positive signs surrounding this potential showdown, but it all depends on Dana White. Given that Ilia Topuria has the skills and is perhaps the biggest star besides Alex Pereira at this point in the UFC, there is no reason why White couldn’t make a second edition of the Mayweather-McGregor superfight. What do you think?