By Edward Chaykovsky
WBO junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford (28-0, 20KOs) is not impressed with Viktor Postol's biggest career win, a tenth round knockout of heavy-hitter Lucas Matthysse.
Postol (29-0, 12KOs) stopped Matthysse, who was favored in the fight, last October to capture the vacant WBC junior welterweight world title. Very few expected Postol to knock Matthysse out. Postol began to dominate the fight and landed a good punch directly to Matthysse's eye, which forced the dangerous boxer from Argentina to crumble down to his knees for the full count.
Now Crawford and Postol will collide on July 23rd in the main event of an HBO Pay-Per-View card from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Crawford is not going to view Postol in a higher light based on the knockout of Matthysse. In the opinion of Crawford, every time Matthysse stepped up to a big fight he was beaten. He lost fights with Zab Judah, Danny Garcia, Devon Alexander and then Postol.
"When I look at everything about Matthysse - every time he stepped up he lost. Every time he stepped up and fought someone who was notable, he lost, except against one person - Lamont Peterson. So I don't ever base [Postol's standing among the best because] he beat Matthysse, [that doesn't mean nothing]," Crawford told Sway.
That doesn't mean Crawford is not taking the fight seriously. This is Crawford's debut as a pay-per-view headliner, and his debut on the Las Vegas stage, so he wants to come out with a very impressive victory. For him, a close decision victory is not enough. He wants to win the fight with a big knockout.
Crawford was in the ring back in January, when he knocked out Hank Lundy in the fifth round at the Theater in New York's Madison Square Garden.
