Photo by Marilyn Paulino
Terence “Bud” Crawford (28-0, 20 KOs) has been searching for a chance to cross the threshold into superstardom, and this is his opportunity.
Crawford has brought a lot of attention to the Junior welterweight division, and everyone is eager to see him face top welterweights, such as Danny Garcia or Manny Pacquiao.
This Saturday however, WBC Junior Welterweight champion Viktor “The Iceman” Postol (28-0, 12 KOs) is looking to steal that attention for himself in their 140-pound championship unification bout.
Crawford is recognized for both his power, ring generalship, and his history of defeating fighters as the underdog, while Postol is esteemed for his ring IQ and boxing skills.
While Crawford does have the power, it is yet to be determined if he has the technique to overcome The Iceman.
Here are three keys for Crawford to become the next superstar and defeat Viktor Postol.
1. Trap Him On the Ropes
Photo by Marilyn Paulino
Terence Crawford needs to put Viktor Postol up against the ropes and work on the body, especially in the first half of the fight.
Postol is a boxer who does not stop moving. His knowledge of how to easily get out of his opponents’ reach is what made him such a tough opponent for fighters such as Lucas Matthysse and Selcuk Aydin.
Although he is relentless in his attacks, Postol does not have shockingly heavy hands. Most of his knockout victories have been due to the fact that he wore down his opponent rather than just destroying him with a single punch. Because of this, Postol tends to catch his opponents on his back foot, luring them in, or throw a flurry of punches and move out of the way instead of exchanging.
Another reason that Postol rarely exchanges is because, as he is tough, his chin is not made of stone. He was staggered in the first round against Selcuk Aydin from a left hook, and Lucas Matthysse’s constant shots to the jaw affected him as the rounds continued.
If Crawford can get him on the ropes and force him to exchange, he has a better chance of hurting Postol and beating him on the judges’ cards than he would fighting in the center of the ring.
2. Watch the Hands
Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Viktor Postol has two bad habits.
The first is that he drops his left hand far too often when firing off combinations. Lucas Matthysse caught onto this and landed numerous right hands to the jaw.
The second bad habit is that Postol fires to the body whilst standing straight up. Most fighters will drop down when firing to the body for protection. This allows them to block punches easier, as well as creating an awkward angle for the other fighter to fire back. Postol however, stands straight up when he goes to the body, leaving his head completely exposed.
If Crawford can time when to fire off his heavier punches, especially when Postol is showing one of these habits, he has a much better chance of taking away the offense of Postol.
3. Smother Him
Photo by Will Hart
It’s no secret, at 5’11” with a 73 ½” reach that Viktor Postol is a very long fighter, and he knows how to use that. He knows how to keep fighters off of him and force them to fight the way he wants using his long reach.
Timothy Bradley made a strong observation when commentating over one of “The Iceman’s” fights however; the way to beat Postol is to fight him like Marcos Maidana fought Floyd Mayweather.
In order to defeat Postol, you have to smother his punches and do all you can to make him uncomfortable.
If Crawford can make Postol uncomfortable and smother his punches, it will disrupt Postol’s entire gameplan and force him to try to make up a new gameplan as he goes, which will open up more opportunities for Crawford.
