This weekend’s boxing action will be led by two of the sport’s hottest properties. Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol will be putting two pieces of the Junior Welterweight crown on the line when they meet at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Crawford, a two-weight champion, will be putting his WBO variety into the pot, and Postol his WBC.
Someone’s ‘O’ has got to go in this one, and, even though ‘Bud’ should find himself the favorite, the general consensus is that Postol is a live body capable of doing damage. Crawford vs Postol is a fine piece of matchmaking, but it does seem rather odd that it’s got a $60 Pay Per View tag attached to it, I must say. It’s a darn good scrap on paper, yes, but it could prove to be hard to push this event, which looks to have a showcase undercard, to anyone who is not a hardened fight fan.
I can bang on all day about how relevant and meaningful the Crawford vs Postol headliner is, but the simple fact of the matter is these guys are not yet in the ‘mainstream conscience’. It will certainly be interesting to see what kind of ratings this show brings in, and, for the record, I hope they are good. Not because I think it’s an overall stellar card worth your hard-earned sixty bucks, but because good numbers would at least suggest new stars like Crawford are finally getting the serious recognition they deserve.
Business end aside, why is this main event such intriguing stuff? Well, it’s pretty rare to see any division’s top two players locking horns nowadays – sort of a given – but this is one of those rare exceptions. Unblemished records are on the line in this unification dustup, along with some lofty spoils in the very near future for the victor. So what’s not to like?
Crawford is one of the sport’s most naturally gifted, all-round special talents who’s been taking care of some decent operators during his quick ascension to the top, generally putting in more or less punch perfect, clinical performances. Sensational wins, such as those over Yuriorkis Gamboa, Raymundo Beltran and Thomas Dulorme, have kept this versatile switch-hitter on BB’s radar for quite some time, with ‘Bud’ currently riding the No.2 spot at 140 pounds and No.6 Pound for Pound. Crawford’s also got considerable pop in both hands, which basically makes him the full package.
Postol’s utility belt might not be quite as celebrated, but he’s plenty capable of hanging with top-drawer opposition as we witnessed recently against dangerous powerhouse Lucas Matthysse in October. Postol, coached by revered trainer Freddie Roach, was a sizeable underdog in that matchup, but proved his mettle by soaking up some solid shots en route to taming and stopping Matthysse, one of boxing’s boogeymen. Postol, our No.1 Junior Welter, has got some underrated boxing skills going for him, not to mention thudding, potentially fight-ending power.
What makes Crawford vs Postol all the more intriguing is the physique dynamic here. Postol, standing at 5’ 11” and possessing a 74” wingspan, is a pretty large 140-pounder. While it’s true an intelligent, adaptable fighter like Crawford (5’ 8” / 70”) could find a way to negate Postol’s strengths, the size dynamic is real and makes this a dangerous fight for ‘Bud’. We should have a good ol’ scrap on our hands here, folks.
Fight Time & TV Channel: Crawford vs Postol will air Live on HBO PPV ($60) and Boxnation from 9:00PM ET / 2:00AM GMT.
Catch HBO’s Countdown to Saturday night’s unification scrap:
Crawford vs Postol: Undercard
- Oscar Valdez vs Matias Rueda – 12 rounds, vacant WBO Featherweight title
- Jose Benavidez vs Francisco Santana – 10 rounds, Welterweight
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs Tommy Karpency – 10 rounds, Light Heavyweight
- Ik Yang vs Leonardo Zappavigna – 10 rounds, Light Heavyweight
- Ryota Murata vs George Tahdooahnippah – 10 rounds, Middleweight
Crawford vs Postol: Extended Tale of the Tape, Facts & Stats
Note: Advantageous stats are indicated in red (some may be subjective), and championship stats refer to ‘fully fledged world titles’ only.
Terence Crawford vs Viktor Postol
Physical/Vital
Birthplace
Nebraska, US … Ukraine
Age
28 … 32
Height
5’ 8” … 5′ 11″
Reach
70″ … 74″
Stance
Switch-Hitter … Orthodox
Record
Debut
2008 … 2007
Bouts
28 … 28
Wins / Defeats / Draws / KOs
28-0, 20 KO … 28-0, 12 KO
Knockout Ratio
71% (20) … 43% (12)
Last 5 Fights
5-0, 4 KO … 5-0, 2 KO
Last 10 Fights
10-0, 6 KO … 10-0, 3 KO
1st Round Knockouts
6 … 2
2nd Round Knockouts
5 … 1
3rd Round Knockouts
2 … 0
4th – 6th Round Knockouts
6 … 4
Defeats by Knockout
0 … 0
Knockdowns Suffered
0 … 0
Rounds Boxed
135 … 210
12-Rounders Completed
2 … 5
Current Winning Streak
28 … 28
Undefeated Fighters Defeated
3 … 1
Latest Win
Henry Lundy (TKO 5) … Lucas Matthysse (KO 10)
World Title Bout Experience
Wins / Defeats / Draws / KOs
6-0, 4 KO … 1-0, 1 KO
Successful Defenses
5 … NA
Longest Championship Reign
03/2014 – Present … 10/2015 – Present
Major Titles Won
WBO (135, 140 lbs) … WBC (140 lbs)
Major Titles Currently Held
WBO (140 lbs) … WBC (140 lbs)
Boxing Base Top 10 World Ranking
No.2 … No.1
Notable Performances
CRAWFORD: Henry Lundy (TKO 5), Dierry Jean (TKO 10), Thomas Dulorme (TKO 6), Raymundo Beltran (UD 12), Yuriorkis Gamboa (TKO 9), Ricky Burns (UD 12), Andrey Klimov (UD 10), Alejandro Sanabria (TKO 6), Breidis Prescott (UD 10)
POSTOL: Lucas Matthysse (KO 10), Jake Giuriceo (UD 8), Selcuk Aydin (KO 11), Behzod Nabiev (UD 10), Baxroom Payazov (UD 8), Henry Lundy (UD 12), Yvan Mendy (UD 12)
What’s your take on BB’s Crawford vs Postol Tale of the Tape, Facts & Stats? And how do you see the action playing out on Saturday night? We’ll have Live Results Coverage right here on Boxing Base, plus Live Round by Round Updates via @BoxingBase on Twitter.
