By Michael Rosenthal
BIGGEST WINNER
Josh Taylor: Taylor had already demonstrated multiple times that he has exceptional boxing skills. Now we have a better idea about his determination.
The Scot faced the stiffest test of his young professional career Saturday in the form of Viktor Postol, the veteran from Ukraine who is best known for his KO of Lucas Matthysse and one-sided loss to Terence Crawford in his subsequent fight.
Taylor had his way with Postol at times – including a 10th-round knockdown – but he also endured some difficult moments, evidence that Postol can still give elite opponents trouble at 34 years old.
Taylor (13-0, 11 knockouts) fought through his worst moments with the kind of passion and resilience that you expect to see in a future champion and walked away with a unanimous-decision victory in front of home-country fans in Glasgow.
The scores – 117-110, 118-110 and 119-108 – were too wide by most estimations given the competitiveness of the fight but most agree that Taylor deserved the nod over Postol (29-2, 12 KOs).
It wasn’t Taylor’s most dominating performance but it undoubtedly was his most valuable. He won an important fight and gained invaluable experience in the process, which will make him a better fighter going forward.
“He was much more awkward than I was expecting, I thought he’d be slower,” Taylor said. “It just took me five or six rounds to get going. My jab wasn’t flowing, but once I relaxed, I started getting my shots off better.
“He put it on me in the seventh. I switched off, I knew the mistake I made. He hit me right on the button. I used my experience, my brain, to get through. I learned a hell of a lot.”
Taylor is now first in line to challenge WBC junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez, who defends against Danny O’Connor on July 7 in Fresno. The Scot is more prepared for that kind of challenge now than he was before he stepped into the ring on Saturday.
RABBIT PUNCHES
WBC junior lightweight titleholder Miguel Berchelt (34-1, 30 KOs) continued to roll, stopping overmatched Jonathan Victor Barros (41-6-1, 22 KOs) in three rounds Saturday in Mexico. I doubt he would beat fellow titleholders Vasyl Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis but he’s a compelling opponent for either. Barros, who lost a wide decision to Lee Selby in his previous bout, seems to be finished as an elite fighter. … Miguel Roman (60-12, 47 KOs) stopped Michel Marcano (17-1-1, 14 KOs) with a body shot in the second round Saturday in Mexico, solidifying Roman as the mandatory challenger to Berchelt’s title. Roman has won four fights – all by knockout – since he was stopped by Takashi Miura last year. … Claressa Shields (6-0, 2 KOs) faced a little adversity against Hanna Gabriels (18-2-1, 11 KOs) – going down in the opening round – but went on to win a hard-fought unanimous decision and titles in a second division Friday in Detroit after moving down from super middleweight to middleweight for the fight. Shields said beforehand that’s she’s the greatest female fighter ever. She didn’t look like it when she was sitting on the canvas but I don’t have a problem with her comments. You can’t become the GOAT if you don’t believe you can. For the record, Lucia Rijker is the best female boxer ever. … Titleholder Christina Hammer (23-0, 10 KOs) had no trouble with Tori Nelson (17-2-3, 2 KOs) on the Shields-Gabriels card, winning a near-shutout decision to set up a unification showdown with Shields. That’s a big fight by any standards. I would favor Shields to win but it’s no gimmie for her.
COMING UP
Fight of the Week: Gilberto Ramirez (37-0, 25 KOs) vs. Roamer Alexis Angulo (23-0, 20 KOs), Saturday, ESPN. Ramirez, the WBO super middleweight titleholder from Mexico, has his sights set on unification against fellow beltholders George Groves, James DeGale and David Benavides but first he must get past Angulo in Oklahoma City. The Colombian has a gaudy record and obvious punching power but he hasn’t fought anyone close to the caliber of Ramirez, meaning we really don’t know whether he poses a legitimate threat. The guess here is that Ramirez outclasses him. … Light heavyweight contender Joe Smith (23-2, 19 KOs) fights journeyman Melvin Russell (11-4-2, 7 KOs) on Saturday in Uncasville, Connecticut, Smith’s first bout since he was outpointed by Sullivan Barrera last July. Smith ended Bernard Hopkins’ career in impressive fashion but struggled against Barrera. It will be interesting to see whether he’s truly a legitimate contender.
Michael Rosenthal is the most-recent winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award for excellence in boxing journalism. He has covered boxing for almost three decades.
