Tag: Viktor Postol

One could argue that Gary Antuanne Russell didn’t deserve a knockout but he definitely deserved the victory.

Russell, a rising junior welterweight contender, passed the biggest test of his career by stopping veteran Viktor Postol on Saturday at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Postol, 38, had never been stopped, including in losses to Terence Crawford, Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez.

Russell (15-0, 15 KOs) was in attack mode from the opening bell, outboxing and outworking his more-experienced and still-effective Ukrainian opponent most of the fight.

Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) countered well at times but couldn’t keep pace with the more aggressive Russell.

Russell hurt Postol in the final minute of the fight, although Postol continued to defend himself. Still, referee Mike Ortega, trying to protect Postol, stopped the fight with 29 seconds to go.

The scores at the time of the stoppage were 89-82, 89-82 and 88-83, all for Russell.

Russell was asked afterward whether he thought the fight should’ve been stopped.

“Definitely,” he said. “There was a lot of contacts. Low gloves. The judges made the correct decision. I think my performance speaks for itself.

“The talent speaks for itself. I believe I’m ready for a step-up fight.”

Postol, fighting with a heavy heart because of his country’s war with Russia, said he wasn’t at his best.

“I just couldn’t do what I wanted to do in the ring,” he said. “My legs were not there and my arms were not there like I needed them to be. I’ve fought much better fighters than Gary Russell, but for some reason I wasn’t able to perform to my abilities.

“I came here to win tonight. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to achieve my goal.”

[lawrence-related id=28443]

One could argue that Gary Antuanne Russell didn’t deserve a knockout but he definitely deserved the victory.

Russell, a rising junior welterweight contender, passed the biggest test of his career by stopping veteran Viktor Postol on Saturday at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Postol, 38, had never been stopped, including in losses to Terence Crawford, Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez.

Russell (15-0, 15 KOs) was in attack mode from the opening bell, outboxing and outworking his more-experienced and still-effective Ukrainian opponent most of the fight.

Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) countered well at times but couldn’t keep pace with the more aggressive Russell.

Russell hurt Postol in the final minute of the fight, although Postol continued to defend himself. Still, referee Mike Ortega, trying to protect Postol, stopped the fight with 29 seconds to go.

The scores at the time of the stoppage were 89-82, 89-82 and 88-83, all for Russell.

Russell was asked afterward whether he thought the fight should’ve been stopped.

“Definitely,” he said. “There was a lot of contacts. Low gloves. The judges made the correct decision. I think my performance speaks for itself.

“The talent speaks for itself. I believe I’m ready for a step-up fight.”

Postol, fighting with a heavy heart because of his country’s war with Russia, said he wasn’t at his best.

“I just couldn’t do what I wanted to do in the ring,” he said. “My legs were not there and my arms were not there like I needed them to be. I’ve fought much better fighters than Gary Russell, but for some reason I wasn’t able to perform to my abilities.

“I came here to win tonight. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to achieve my goal.”

[lawrence-related id=28443]

Everyone should have a better handle on how good Gary Antuanne Russell is after Saturday.

Russell, a junior welterweight prospect who has stopped all 14 of his opponents, is scheduled to take on veteran Viktor Postol on the Chris Colbert-Hector Luis Garcia card Saturday in Las Vegas (Showtime).

Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) was at his peak six, seven years ago, when he held a major 140-pound title. And he’s 38, raising questions about how much the Ukrainian might have left in the tank.

At the same time, he’s a clever, durable boxer with a wealth of experience who gave Jose Ramirez more trouble than many people expected in his most-recent fight, a year and a half ago.

Make no mistake: This is a test for the talented Russell.

“A fighter of his caliber, beating him in any form is a statement,” Russell said at a news conference Thursday. “You can’t take anything away from what he’s done in this sport. He says he’s driven. Well, I’m driven too.

“A person who is determined can become dangerous. And I’m one of those determined people. We’re both going to bring our best. I’m coming to give a great performance.”

Meanwhile, Postol, who trains with Freddie Roach in Los Angeles, said he doesn’t feel like a man approaching his 40^th birthday.

“I feel young and strong,” he said. “I believe in myself. I’m very confident that I will become world champion again. This fight is a step toward achieving that feat again.

“Having Freddie Roach as a trainer is a huge boost for me. He’s always able to give me the right adjustments in training and during the fight. It just helps my confidence even more.”

Postol will enter the ring with a heavy heart, as his country is at war with Russian invaders, but he’s trying to keep his mind on boxing.

“The situation in Ukraine has escalated a lot and it’s hard not to think about it,” Postol said. “I’m working on focusing on the fight. My family is in the middle of everything, but they are safe and that’s what is most important.”

Russell hopes the war will serve to inspire Postol.

Said Russell: “I hope that with everything going on back home for Postol in Ukraine, that it motivates him and makes him hungry to give the world a great fight on Saturday.”

If he wins, Russell, the brother of former featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr., believes he will have taken a major step in his career.

“To be the next rising superstar, that’s part of our plan,” he said. “I’ve believed it all along, and now that other people are starting to see it, we’re getting that much closer to our goal. The plan is to keep the knockout streak going.

“Execution is always our goal. That’s the family credo.”

[lawrence-related id=20611,28381]

Everyone should have a better handle on how good Gary Antuanne Russell is after Saturday.

Russell, a junior welterweight prospect who has stopped all 14 of his opponents, is scheduled to take on veteran Viktor Postol on the Chris Colbert-Hector Luis Garcia card Saturday in Las Vegas (Showtime).

Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) was at his peak six, seven years ago, when he held a major 140-pound title. And he’s 38, raising questions about how much the Ukrainian might have left in the tank.

At the same time, he’s a clever, durable boxer with a wealth of experience who gave Jose Ramirez more trouble than many people expected in his most-recent fight, a year and a half ago.

Make no mistake: This is a test for the talented Russell.

“A fighter of his caliber, beating him in any form is a statement,” Russell said at a news conference Thursday. “You can’t take anything away from what he’s done in this sport. He says he’s driven. Well, I’m driven too.

“A person who is determined can become dangerous. And I’m one of those determined people. We’re both going to bring our best. I’m coming to give a great performance.”

Meanwhile, Postol, who trains with Freddie Roach in Los Angeles, said he doesn’t feel like a man approaching his 40^th birthday.

“I feel young and strong,” he said. “I believe in myself. I’m very confident that I will become world champion again. This fight is a step toward achieving that feat again.

“Having Freddie Roach as a trainer is a huge boost for me. He’s always able to give me the right adjustments in training and during the fight. It just helps my confidence even more.”

Postol will enter the ring with a heavy heart, as his country is at war with Russian invaders, but he’s trying to keep his mind on boxing.

“The situation in Ukraine has escalated a lot and it’s hard not to think about it,” Postol said. “I’m working on focusing on the fight. My family is in the middle of everything, but they are safe and that’s what is most important.”

Russell hopes the war will serve to inspire Postol.

Said Russell: “I hope that with everything going on back home for Postol in Ukraine, that it motivates him and makes him hungry to give the world a great fight on Saturday.”

If he wins, Russell, the brother of former featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr., believes he will have taken a major step in his career.

“To be the next rising superstar, that’s part of our plan,” he said. “I’ve believed it all along, and now that other people are starting to see it, we’re getting that much closer to our goal. The plan is to keep the knockout streak going.

“Execution is always our goal. That’s the family credo.”

[lawrence-related id=20611,28381]