LAS VEGAS ? A decade ago, the 140-pound division was one of the hottest in boxing.
The top five fighters at junior welterweight were three then-unbeaten superstars (Floyd Mayweather, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto) and two current Hall of Fame inductees (Kostya Tszyu and Arturo Gatti).
The division isn?t nearly as stacked now, but WBO junior welterweight titlist Terence ?Bud? Crawford and WBC super lightweight champ Viktor ?Iceman? Postol have separated themselves from the pack.
The two belt-holders, each the top-ranked fighters in his weight class, meet Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in a unification bout that will establish a new lineal champion at junior welterweight.
There are currently five unified titlists and four lineal champions throughout boxing?s 17 weight divisions. Heavyweight Tyson Fury is the only man on both lists. Saturday?s winner will become the second and take a major step in joining the all-time greats from 10 years ago.
Crawford (28-0, 20 knockouts) called the bout the biggest of his career.
?I just want to fight and be recognized as the best in my division,? the former lineal lightweight champion said. ?That?s it. So if going through Postol means that?s how I get there, then so be it.?
The Omahan, collecting a purse of $1.3 million for the bout, is a 6.5-to-1 favorite over Postol (28-0, 12 KOs). The WBC champion?s Hall of Fame
trainer Freddie Roach said he likes being underdog.
?No one?s giving my guy a shot,? said Roach, who bet on Postol. ?I actually feel good about that because I know my guy has a shot. I know we?ve done everything possible to get ready for this fight. I feel good about where we?re at right now. … We?re in a tough fight, I know. But that?s what boxing is all about.?
Postol said at Friday?s weigh-in, where he checked in at 139.5 pounds, that he would prove Saturday that he shouldn?t be an underdog. Ring magazine rates the Ukrainian champ at the top of the division.
Crawford, who weighed in at 140, told fans at the arena Friday, ?Don?t blink.?
?It?s going to be action all night,? Omaha?s two-time champion said. ?You?ve got two top fighters in their primes, undefeated, both champions, both willing to take risks. I?m ready to put on a show (Saturday).?
Crawford will be giving up a little in height and reach Saturday. But he has more skills than Postol.
?Crawford?s best quality is he?s a good counterpuncher,? Roach said. ?If you lead to him and you bring your hands back low, he will counter over the top quickly. I think speed might be one of his best assets.?
The seven-time trainer of the year doesn?t want his fighter to put himself in a position to be countered.
?If you pressure him, the counterpunching sets him up even a little better,? Roach said. ?I don?t think we have to pressure him. I think we have to try to outbox him, try to keep him at distance with our jab. The jab is the key to the fight. Whoever is going to pull that off remains to be seen.?
Crawford said on numerous occasions that he doesn?t understand all the attention given to Postol?s jab, the WBC champ?s greatest weapon, since Crawford jabs well from both southpaw and orthodox stances himself. Head trainer and co-manager Brian ?BoMac? McIntyre said Crawford can neutralize it.
?They say he?s got a really great jab. But we?ve been working on things in camp where we can take away the jab,? he said. ?That might be his greatest asset. If you take that away, what else is he going to do??
McIntyre and Crawford have both expressed concern with Postol?s tendency to force a clinch, when an opponent gets inside on him, to force the referee to break the fighters. Postol then resets his distance.
