Ilia Topuria isn’t just one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet. The 29-year-old holds a 17-0 MMA record, highlighted by consecutive knockout wins over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira. His dominance caught the attention of the boxing world, specifically undefeated multi-division champion Shakur Stevenson.
Their feud actually began during a live stream hosted by internet personality Adin Ross. When Ross claimed MMA fighters possess superior skills, Stevenson argued that elite boxing technique is completely superior.
Stevenson directly targeted Topuria, issuing a blunt challenge to “come fight me” and later doubling down by claiming the UFC champion wouldn’t last a single round in a boxing ring.
Topuria addressed the comments during an interview on the Vic Blends barbershop show. He stated that he is completely open to crossing over into professional boxing and wants to face Stevenson next to stop the trash talk.
Ilia Topuria Fires Back at Shakur Stevenson After Months of Trash Talk
The beef traces back to February, when Stevenson appeared on Adin Ross’ livestream alongside Terence Crawford and directly challenged Topuria after host Ross argued the UFC is better than boxing.
“The skill level is different. Tell him to come fight me,” Stevenson said, dismissing the idea that MMA stars could compete in a boxing ring. Months later, Topuria finally responded during an interview on the Vic Blends barbershop show.
He said, “He talks too much. He has some hate for me. I feel I can go to boxing and face the best in the world. If it happens, I’ll be happy. Against Shakur, who talks too much, it would be great.”
Ilia Topuria says he wants to box Shakur Stevenson to shut him up 👀
“He talks too much. He has some hate for me. I feel I can go to boxing and face the best in the world. If it happens, I’ll be happy. Against Shakur, who talks too much, it would be great.”
(via @vicblends) pic.twitter.com/eLCrmr4jss
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 27, 2026
Topuria has wanted a crossover boxing match for a long time, previously targeting elite names like Terence Crawford. Their feud kicked off in September 2025 when Topuria boldly claimed he would “put Crawford to sleep with the first contact” in a boxing ring.
However, after Crawford dismissed the matchup and retired from the sport, Topuria moved on from this one-sided rivalry and shifted his focus to Stevenson. Stevenson, an undefeated multi-division champion and elite defensive technician, provides the exact high-profile challenge Topuria is looking for if boxing happens with him.
What Ilia Topuria vs. Shakur Stevenson Boxing Bout Would Actually Look Like
This matchup is structurally different from previous MMA vs. boxing crossovers. Topuria is one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA history, but Stevenson operates at a different level under boxing rules. As an undefeated multi-division world champion and Olympic silver medalist, Stevenson uses defense, range control and footwork that mirror Floyd Mayweather.
Under pure boxing rules, Topuria loses the elbows, clinch work and grappling that create his knockout windows in the cage. Without those threats, Stevenson can keep the fight at long range and outscore him in a blink. Topuria seems to understand this, which is why he framed it as a desire to test himself against the best.
For now, he must first defend his UFC lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 on the White House lawn. The Stevenson conversation will have to wait. But the callout is officially on record from both sides, and in the current crossover era, that’s usually how these things start.
