Viktor Postol believes anyone counting him out is making big mistake
Heading into Saturday's WBC junior welterweight title fight on HBO, all the buzz is surrounding Lucas Matthysse, one of the sport's great action stars.
The Argentine, known as The Machine for his buzzsaw style and steely demeanor, participated in the 2014 fight of the year and competed in a leading contender for this year's best fight. But Viktor Postol is no pushover and is unlikely to get sucked into a firefight - at least if he can help it.
The undefeated Ukrainian completed his third consecutive training camp with Freddie Roach and believes the work will bear fruit in the form of his first world-title victory, the main event of HBO's Boxing After Dark from the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
"I can understand why people think (I'll lose), because they see his record and he's a good puncher," Postol (27-0, 11 KOs) told Paste BN Sports through co-manager Oleg Kovalchuk. "And people think I'm not on his level, but that's not true. I know myself and I've seen his fights. It's a mistake people think like this and I'll show it on Oct. 3."
Indeed, The Iceman possesses many attributes that could give Matthysse (37-3, 34 KOs) problems. Postol, 29, will enjoy a four-plus inch height advantage and stands uncharacteristically tall for a 140-pounder at 5-foot-11.
And while he's not known as a big puncher, he authored a knockout of the year candidate in his lone HBO appearance, an 11th round stoppage of Selcuk Aydin punctuated by a vicious uppercut. Having enough power to at least stymie Matthysse's non-stop pressure will be paramount.
"I do have the power to knock him out," Postol insisted, "but I never plan to knock out before the fight. I always go to box, to feel the opponent, to move. And if I have the chance to knock out, I will do that for sure."
Therein lies the key. Matthysse is used to fighters coming straight at him and has had problems with boxers. Postol moves well and can be tricky. He's also not likely to engage just to please the fans, and if he sticks to the game plan crafted by the seven-time trainer of the year, Postol is confident an upset is in the cards.
"Yes, I know how to stop him," said Postol, whose career-best victory is a decision win over Hank Lundy. "Freddie Roach told me if I do what he says, we will win. The key is to be focused and not play his game. Matthysse is a great fighter. He can box inside and attack from the outside. There is danger in a fight like this. I like to box and move but in this fight we need to fight and exchange.
"This is my third fight with Freddie who now calls me his new favorite fighter. That's probably because I do everything he says. Freddie and I are together as one - we will win Saturday night."