Terence Crawford points to the danger the Octagon poses if he falls through on a two-fight deal with Conor McGregor

Boxer Terence Crawford says he turned down a two-fight deal with Conor McGregor because it would have required him to fight once in the Octagon.

Crawford, who has no experience as a mixed martial arts fighter, said the offer came from Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority. In a separate interview, McGregor confirmed details of a two-fight offer that would have also taken the men into the boxing ring.

“They offered me the fight,” Crawford, a four-division boxing world champion, said in an interview with Bernie Tha Boxer. “Me and Conor got on the phone and started playing politics to find out something. Man, I’m not going to get in a (expletive) octagon with you so you can kick and elbow me!”

McGregor, the former UFC champion, ushered in the current era of crossover fights when he boxed Floyd Mayweather in 2017 – an event that sold more than 4 million pay-per-views. McGregor, 36, has not fought since 2021 and cited an injury in June when he pulled out of a UFC fight against Michael Chandler.

McGregor has said he plans to fight in 2025.

Speaking about the Crawford deal, McGregor told Duelbits: “There are hundreds of millions at stake. What's up? He (Crawford) said, 'I don't want to get kicked.' You have to respect that.

The 37-year-old Crawford is coming off a win over Israil Madrimov in August and is hoping for a fight against Canelo Alvarez.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Terence Crawford rejects two-fight deal with Conor McGregor