This Saturday, 23 July, the eyes of the boxing world will be fixated once again on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for a unification of the WBC and WBO Light-Welterweight titles between the consensus two best fighters in the division – Terrence “Bud” Crawford and Viktor “The Iceman” Postol

For a fight which may not have the added glitz and glamour or “big fight feel” of some of the great and memorable prizefights in the desert, the current present and future implications of the bout (both economically and legacy wise for the boxing climate) as well as the back story strike comparisons with most of the mega fights we have seen in recent time.

You have the main protagonist, the proverbial A-side in Crawford. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, who has gone from an under the radar prospect to heir to the mythical pound for pound throne in under 3 years.

In that space of time he has captured 2 world titles, the first when he ruthlessly relieved WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns of his belt in front of the Scotsman’s home fans in March 2014 , following this up the next year by winning the vacant WBO light-welterweight belt with a destructive blowout of Thomas Dulorme in front of Crawford’s proud and expectant Omaha fan base. Yuriorkis Gamboa, Raymundo Beltran (at Lightweight) along with Dierry Jean and Hank Lundy (at Light-Welterweight) also fell at the path of Crawford in respective title defences.

But in Postol, a 32 year old Ukranian based in California under the tutelage of famed trainer Freddie Roach, he faces the biggest test of his career. A tall, methodical fighter with deceptive power, Postol lurked in the shadows and patiently bode his time until he faced longtime contender and vicious puncher Lucas Matthysse for the vacant WBC Light – Welterweight belt last October in Carson, California. Postol, billed as the underdog, braved some of Matthysse’s fiercest flurries and displayed a new sense of grit and intensity to the surprise and delight of onlookers (and the frustration of his opponent). Then, in the 10th round, Postol landed one clean straight right hand which seemed to damage the Argentinian’s eye and break his will as the referee hovered over him and slowly counted to 10. A statement was made at the StubHub Center that night, with Postol claiming a scalp with arguably trumps anything his opponent Saturday night has done up to date in his career.

However accomplishment’s and names on a resume only reveal a piece of the puzzle in this and the majority bookmakers and experts alike don’t reflect what the form book does. Postol is viewed as somewhat of a convenient stepping stone.

Why so? Because Crawford has done nothing but leave people in awe almost everytime he has stepped into a squared circle. The 28 year old has displayed a cerebral nature, usually easing his way into the fights as he grasps his opponent’s style and waits for an opening. This is before demonstrating a cluster of quickness, ring intelligence and power, crowned with a beautiful use of his ambidexterity (a rare trait to have in this day and age). Such a skill-set he has and such excitement he brings, Crawford is forecasted as being destined for the summit of the sport in terms of prestige and crossover appeal. Saturday sees him headline his first Pay Per View card with the expectation of him gradually building into a recognizable star on that platform, as per the general mantra of those he is following in the footsteps of.

How achievable is all of this? Well firstly and most importantly, the curtain has to match the carpet. In the ring, Bud has for the most part appeared mentally unflappable and unfazed by the typical blend of criticism and expectation which falls his way. Everything else in terms of commercial success is up in the air. Crawford has a fascinating and well documented backstory but may not appear at first glance to have the brash and polarizing on camera nature that pushes buy rates up and sell’s tickets by the bucket load. Perhaps Crawford’s ability alone can potentially be a good enough selling point? Time will tell. However this weekend he must take full advantage of the launching pad he has been presented with and navigate it successfully before he can be anointed, and against a motivated and highly credible foe like Postol, that is easier said than done. I anticipate a competitive and closely contested opening with Crawford showing his class, pulling away down the stretch to earn a clear decision victory, possibly a late stoppage.

Aside from the interesting potential dynamics of the matchup, the fight itself has earned extra support and recognition from the sport’s followers as it sets the tone for what people both expect and desire from boxing in general. Two undefeated highly ranked fighters putting it all on the line in order to find out who is the best. As simple as this sounds to followers of other sports, the divided and inherent egotistical nature of professional prizefighting makes this occurrence at times worryingly infrequent.

The hope is that support for the tone set here not only encourages greater scope for interest the sport but also encourages the current generation of fighters to follow suit and maintain a balance of pursuing riches with pursuit of invisible but valuable “legacy cheques”. A concern may be that the fight potentially doesn’t live up to expectation. The methodical nature of both guys could make for a slow paced tactical standpoint as opposed to an all out war. On the flipside, both fighters have demonstrated a level of spite and resilience in battle as well as an ability to go into the trenches when under pressure, so a possible fight of the year candidate is certainly not out of the question here. This, coupled with the likes of former Olympians such as Olexandr Gvozdyk and Oscar Valdez (fighting for a vacant featherweight title) on the undercard makes Saturday night must see TV.

Championship Rounds

It was a case of “no good deed goes unpunished” for WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder. Despite cruising to an 8th round stoppage of a gutsy but faded Chris Arreola, Wilder badly damaged his right hand and bicep, requiring surgery which will keep him out for the rest of the year. His ambitions of unifying the division will have to be put on hold.

In one of the least shocking pieces of news, Manny Pacquiao’s ring return is slated for November 5th in Las Vegas. The winner of Postol – Crawford is one of several options, whilst Jessie Vargas appears to be the favourite to land the payday. Any fight which poses a test or is authentic would be welcome should this “comeback” come to fruition.

@Babs_SP