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Staff Predictions | Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol

Read on for Round By Round Boxing‘s staff predictions for Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol and let us know who you think will win.

Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol

Crawford vs. Postol - Mikey Williams Top Rank4

Liam Brady, Graphic Designer/Staff Writer

I see this fight being tentative in the early stages, with both fighters being competent boxers.

Viktor Postol is very upright and technically sound, which is evident by his right hand constantly covering his face. Terence Crawford, on the other hand, is also technically sound, but more fluid and free in his movement.

To Postol’s credit, he is a canny operator who can give Crawford an awkward night, shown by his ability to tie a fighter up and smother his work. But with Crawford, his tendency to be a switch-hitter, among other things, makes me believe he has more dimensions to his game than Postol.

I think the aforementioned attributes will be apparent in the fight and will set Crawford apart from Postol as the fight goes on.

As a consequence, I pick Crawford by a competitive decision.

Prediction: Crawford

 

Chris Nicastro, Staff Writer

Smell that, boys. It’s the fresh scent of a true 50/50 fight. Almost unheard of in the year of our Ali 2016, but here it is.

I’ve gone back and forth on who I think is going to win this one and here’s my final take:

Terence Crawford is the boxer puncher, Viktor Postol is just the boxer. I think Postol might take some early rounds, frustrate Crawford, the slow starter, but then the Omaha native will kick into high gear and land at will by the late rounds, doing enough for a decisive victory.

We have to take what we know about the two fighters. Postol can frustrate very easily and weaken the confidence of his opposition. He made Lucas Matthysse quit on the canvas with this method. But I can’t see Crawford staying down if he were to get caught like that.

Matthysse had been dragged through the mud in so many wars. We saw this year already that an average boxer could take away the soul of a blood and guts warrior if the warrior had seen too much combat in Ruslan Provodnikov vs. John Molina.

Crawford is just as crafty as Postol but with more power and a better chin than the Ukrainian’s previous opposition.

Prediction: Crawford

 

Amber Williams, Photographer

Prediction: Crawford

 

Sarah Gruber, Staff Writer

Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol are both an undefeated 28-0 and this is the kind matchup of that boxing fans are dying to see. This fight showcases two of the Jr. Welterweight division’s best and most promising champions going toe-to-toe to unify their 140 pound titles.

Crawford is one of present-day boxing’s truest talents, a fighter that has essentially every necessary skill needed in the ring mixed with some charisma and growing star power. Crawford is the real deal, but his lack of competitive title defenses have no doubt delayed his rise to pound-for-pound greatness. This is what makes a unification bout with the ever-dangerous Postol so important. Both fighters are talented, promising, tough, exciting and gritty, but only one can walk away Saturday from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas reigning supreme.

So who wins? Postol is dangerous and hungry to show the world he is one of the sport’s very best. Crawford is confident and knows he belongs at the upper echelon of boxing, both now and for years to come. Both are quality opponents, but my eyes and my gut tell me that Crawford is just THAT guy.

I believe Crawford is that rare type of superior athlete that has every tool and skill possible. I feel like Crawford wins because in order to beat someone inside the ring you have to capitalize on their mistakes, but how do you beat a fighter that never makes any mistakes?

Postol is great, but he is not Terence Crawford great. I think in this fight we will see a new level of greatness from Crawford as he rises to his level of competition to out box Postol on both the outside and on the inside, as needed. I think Postol could have some success with Crawford by changing levels, and not staying in one spot for too long. Crawford throws really sharp and dangerous combinations, so Postol will need to get off his punches quickly and move out of Crawford’s range with pivots to be effective.

I think Crawford mitigates Postol’s effort by getting his punches off first, throwing quick punches in bunches, and consistently cutting off the ring to keep Postol in his range. Crawford will find a way to make a very good Postol, become a very ineffective Postol, with his pure will to win and his flawless boxing skills.

Prediction: Crawford

 

Brandon Glass, Staff Writer

This is a fight I’ve been waiting on since it was announced. Two junior welterweights (or super lightweights) at the top of their game in a unification bout? What’s not to like?

Postol comes in to this bout after the biggest win of his career, knocking out Lucas Matthysse for the vacant WBC title. Crawford has been on a tear, stopping his last three opponents after moving up in weight, capturing and defending the WBO title.

Crawford should win this fight, but I don’t think it will be as easy as many think it will. While Crawford has the edges in experience and athleticism, it’s his habitually slow starts that make me wonder if a proficient boxer like Postol could take advantage.

Also, Postol has shown decent power, while Crawford’s solid footwork and movement hasn’t always prevented him from getting buzzed by a good punch.

All things considered, I do believe Crawford finds a way to win. Also, after seeing the beatings Crawford’s put on fighters who insulted him; I wonder why Postol poked the bear? I don’t think Crawford’s close to Roberto Duran, but the kid has a mean streak.

When it seems personal, Crawford shows no mercy. That’s why I think Crawford gets the late stoppage, after a solid 8 or 9 rounds of give-and-take.

Prediction: Crawford

 

Jack O’Connell, Staff Writer

In a contest of two technical, masterful boxers, Omaha’s Terence Crawford should be the all-around better fighter, out-dueling the “Ice Man,” Viktor Postol.

Both boxers rely on momentum. Both start slow, and steadily begin to get their offense up and running. Crawford takes a few rounds to figure out his opponents before he lets loose. Against Lucas Matthysse, Postol spent the opening rounds feeling out the veteran slugger.

Whoever can get their punches flowing first is going to win, in this case it will be Crawford. In recent fights against Dierry Jean and Hank Lundy, Crawford has started much faster, taking less time to calculate his attack. Postol, against Matthysse, didn’t get going until the middle rounds, all while taking some hard shots from Matthysse.

Crawford’s offense is accompanied by a stellar defense. His footwork allows him to get in and out with ease. Postol’s best defense is clinching, a tactic that Crawford is very adapt at neutralizing with his footwork.

Crawford’s straight left from the southpaw position has proven lethal. I expect Crawford to rattle Postol with that left, and go in for the finish. Crawford by late TKO.

Prediction: Crawford

 

Alan Garcia, Staff Writer

Terence Crawford is going to come in testing the waters against Viktor Postol for the first few rounds of the fight. He’ll be looking to make the adjustments against anything Postol has in store for him.

Crawford knows that Postol fights so well that he makes his opponents quit from their own frustration of not being able to land against him. The fact that Crawford is aware of this means that he has a plan B and a plan C, and will come in fully prepared for anything Postol has against him.

The way I see it, Crawford isn’t the one getting tested in this fight, but Postol is. Max Kellerman goes on record saying that there are good fighters and there are great fighters. While Postol is definitely a good fighter, Crawford has all of the tools in his arsenal that makes him a great fighter.

Crawford has the X factor that makes him such a great talent and the future of the 140-pound division. Postol will be eating leather all night if he won’t make adjustments to a southpaw style.

Lucas Matthysse was able to land shots on Postol that Crawford will be looking to land more effectively. By cutting the ring off and making him fight his fight, Crawford will score a couple of off balance knockdowns before stopping Postol in the later rounds of the fight by cumulative punches.

Postol must have more than a jab and a one-two coming into this fight Saturday night if he stands a chance at winning.

Prediction: Crawford

 

Ismael Gallardo, Photographer

Prediction: Crawford

 

Shelbi Keyes, Staff Writer

Terence “Bud” Crawford vs. Viktor “The Iceman” Postol, in my opinion is going to be a very tough fight. Crawford and Postol are both undefeated in 28 fights and they are both confident that they will end the night with their hand raised.

Postol has both a height and reach advantage going into Saturday night’s fight and he must utilize these advantages to come out on top. Postol’s technical expertise and improved power will also be key to beating Crawford.

Crawford on the other hand, is also a big Super lightweight and he is an extremely well-rounded boxer. He is able to switch stances and do so at a high level–looking equally impressive in both southpaw and orthodox stances. He is an intelligent fighter and he will need to be patient Saturday night fighting an opponent with such great height and reach advantages.

Honestly, this is a 50-50 fight for me. This is a tough call, I am predicting a very close fight with Crawford having a slight edge over Postol.

Prediction: Crawford

 

Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief

Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol is what boxing is all about, two undefeated champions with distinct styles who are looking to stake their claim as the best fighter in their division.

Crawford has preyed on smaller opponents in a few of his notable fights–Yuriorkis Gamboa and Hank Lundy–so I think it’ll be interesting to see just how well he does with Postol’s height and reach advantages.

Postol, especially under the guidance of Freddie Roach, has shown that he can crack and Crawford isn’t always the most defensively responsible fighter, so that is another exciting factor to focus in on.

Crawford is a notoriously slow starter, and while Postol isn’t Leo Santa Cruz, he needs to let his hands go and make Crawford respect his power (even if it’s at a distance).

We’ve seen Crawford get dominated early on (in the Gamboa fight), but he’s resilient as hell and can make adjustments on the fly. I think that Crawford will figure things out by Round 4 and begin cleanly landing his shots on Postol that will frustrate the Ukrainian going down the stretch.

Postol will either pack it in and “survive” by holding in the second half of the fight, or Crawford will get a late stoppage and catapult him into the spotlight as one of boxing’s biggest stars–even if the pay-per-view numbers are crap.

Prediction: Crawford

Betting SiteTerence CrawfordViktor Postol
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