“Terence Crawford would wreck Suga” - Controversy erupts as Sean O'Malley accuses boxers of being keyboard warriors

Sean O'Malley feels that boxers cannot fight and pointedly called out sweet science practitioners around his weight.

In a transcribed excerpt via @afeldMMA on X featuring the UFC bantamweight champ addressing Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson, Sean O'Malley said,

"I would hate to just have boxing skills and not be able to defend myself on the ground, cause then I couldn’t talk sh*t. Like the boxers can’t actually talk sh*t to me…They can talk sh*t on Twitter, but they can’t actually fight."

Users on X were quick to offer up their thoughts on Sean O'Malley's bombastic quote from his interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.

@Lucifer3636369 said,

"Terence Crawford would wreck Suga Sean. Obviously has the hands but was a wrestler growing up and comes from a family background of wrestlers. If a boxer can wrestle then it’s a different story"

@Blygn93 stated,

"This is a big lie though, the only way to beat a boxer in a cage is if u have wrestling and jujutsu. Sean O'Malley has never wrestled in his UFC career, he boxes more than kicking so it would be a standup match of fists. I assure u Gervonta Davis would KO O'Malley"

@JDZephyr quipped,

"Remember people, when one of these mma guys say “real fight” they’re lying because mma isn’t a real fight. “It’s closer to a real one-“ no tf it isn’t. 90% are on the feet with punches. Sean basically saying he got no hands and knows it so he’s gotta cover that insecurity up 😂"

@inmyday1955 said,

"Of course he would. He could just throw a few calf kicks and the box can't stand. Boxing is an art. MMA is multiple arts."

@@ZacharyMaximus9 stated,

"110% Sean beats all 3 in one night in MMA."

@Luis102082 quipped,

"The Dana White effect. MMA fighters hungry for money🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️"

Check out the O'Malley vs Boxing clip and subsequent tweet thread below

Sean O'Malley and Boxing vs MMA crossovers

Sean O'Malley is looking to get in on a tradition that has been especially prevalent in the years since Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather.

The most recent permutation of this boxing versus MMA model was Francis Ngannou versus Tyson Fury. But Jake Paul has also promoted a lot of pay-per-views with the same storyline (Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, Nate Diaz, etc.).

More often than not, it's MMA fighters donning the big gloves and crossing over to the ring, but some standout boxers have indeed attempted MMA.

James Toney notably took on multi-division UFC champion Randy Couture and was promptly finished via submission in August 2010. Ray Mercer also came over after a prolific career as a heavyweight boxer and fought names like Tim Sylvia as well as Kimbo Slice under mixed martial arts rules.