HBO PPV : Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol – The Time Is Now

Foto por Herbert Diaz

The landscape is wide open. The canvas stands free and all-white. The marquee sign is blank.

Without pointing to the obvious any further the time for a megastar or superstar as well as house-hold name in the junior welterweight division is upon us and what better way to answer the question of: who is the true 140-pound ruler of the division? Than with a stellar showcase this weekend from the MGM Grand Garden Arena inside the MGM Grand by way of a Top Rank promotions HBO PPV. The main event features a clash between top 140lbs belt holders in unbeaten Terence Crawford (28-0 w/20 KOs) and undefeated, Viktor Postol (28-0 w/12 KOs).

The exciting junior welterweight battle serves as not only the defining fight currently available in the division but also a much welcomed title unification in a boxing world cluttered with four recognized belts that litter every weight class with endless confusion and debate. True fight fans value these types of rare unification bouts since the current era of the sport is dealing with a growing trend where each weight class has become infested with super, regular, silver, international and other variations of the already exhausting versions of the 4 titles mentioned.

Reigning WBC champion, Viktor “The Iceman” Postol is an orthodox fighter who made his professional debut in 2007. His most notable wins in the last 4 years have come via unanimous decisions over DeMarcus Corley and Henry Lundy and KOs of Selcuk Aydin and Lucas Matthysse. The Matthysse stoppage became thus far his signature triumph when it took place October of 2015 at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California. The surprising stoppage of knockout artist extraordinaire, Matthysse, to claim the vacant WBC 140-pound title really made critics take notice of Postol since it was the Argentine’s first KO loss in over 40 matches. The Ukraine native was in control of the championship battle throughout the entire match but in the 10th round he dropped Matthysse to the canvas and “The Machine” was not able to beat the referee’s count. Postol comes into the fight this weekend ready to make a splash in front of a big American audience against his toughest assignment to date and make everyone take notice that he is the king of the junior welterweight division.

A pro since 2008, the Omaha, Nebraska native and defending WBO 140-pound champion, Terence “Bud” Crawford is riding the momentum of a 3-fight KO streak into his first ever HBO PPV. A staple in the current Home Box Office line-up of featured boxers for their most recent telecasts, “Bud” is making the jump from premium channel to Pay-Per-View channel. And what better way to announce his home coming, per se, than riding the wave of his fantastic 3-fight KO streak of the last 15 months? The list of casualties whom he finished in 10 rounds or less includes: Thomas Dulorme, Dierry Jean and Henry Lundy. The magic of Crawford’s stellar outings in the past have also seen him triumph over Preidis Prescott by way of a unanimous decision and hand Yuriorkis Gamboa his first loss which was via KO. Crawford is well aware that a win over his European nemesis puts him on the map as the next big PPV star and fast tracks him to the front of the line towards greatness.

The momentum is equally in both men’s corner and while the odds makers in Las Vegas have Crawford as high as an 8-1 favorite, this is really a pick ‘em fight at its core. Both men are undefeated, both men are in their prime, both men are champions and both are lobbying for the chance to win on Saturday for their first HBO PPV and Las Vegas headliner which will open up the door to much bigger and better opportunities. Even a possible fight with living legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao at welterweight this October has been mentioned by Top Rank boss, Bob Arum, as a realistic possibility for Saturday’s winner.

Time waits for no man, regardless of undefeated streaks, leather straps around their waist with shiny, metallic plates and name recognition. The time to strike is now & money, fame and fortune await the winner of this weekend’s HBO PPV from the MGM Grand hotel and casino in Las Vegas when Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol unify their 140-pound titles.