As Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol approaches on HBO pay-per-view in less than two weeks, on July 23, right here, we have several training camp updates from each man, along with HBO’s official Crawford vs. Postol video fight preview.
Will Postol be the toughest test of career? Why did you decide to take such a dangerous fight?
CRAWFORD
“On paper you could make a case that Postol will be the toughest man I have faced inside the ring, but I won’t really know that until I fight him on July 23. When I go into camp, I always assume the opponent I’m training for will be my toughest test. It’s the only way I know how to train. I respect any fighter who laces up the gloves and enters the ring to battle with me.
“I take no opponent for granted and I take nothing in training camp for granted. We are by the book in camp. We skip nothing in gym training or conditioning. It’s a fulltime job. You have no idea what it takes on a daily basis to get myself to the level I achieve on fight night. I cannot afford an off night. It’s unacceptable and it’s dangerous. No one is going to give me anything in a fight.
“I have to earn it the old-fashioned way and that’s by taking the fight to my opponent and winning it. Against Postol, I’m not just defending my belt, I’m out to take his too. That’s the reason for taking such a tough fight. It is because I wanted to fight the best fighter out there. To beat the best fighter out there. To show that I am the best fighter in the division.”
McINTYRE
“We won’t know if Postol will be the toughest until we get into the ring with him. He does have some good victories, he has a title and he is undefeated. So if you look at those credentials, you can’t ask for a stronger opponent than that for Terence. Both fighters are risking their titles and their undefeated records — everything that they have worked so hard to earn — and that is something that appeals to us and appeals to fans who are looking for the best to fight the best. A victory on July 23 will lead to bigger and tougher tests and we welcome that too. I know Terence is the best fighter in boxing. We want him to have the opportunities to prove it. Regarding the July 23rd fight, I’m not worried about what Postol will be doing. I’m only concerned about what Terence does in training camp. And right now, Terence is having an amazing camp. Because Terence is training so strong, my gut is telling me this may be an easy fight for us.”
How is Crawford different from other boxers and what kind of fight are you expecting?
POSTOL
“What differentiates Crawford from many other fighters are his skills and technical attributes. From a mental aspect he is a very clever boxer, always using his mind in the ring, changing stances, all the time adapting to different types of opponents.
“He has shown this in his previous fights. But that does not mean he is the best I have fought. I think Lucas Matthysse is a higher-level fighter than Crawford and everyone knows how my fight with Matthysse ended, with him knocked out and the WBC belt around my waist.
“And that is exactly where the WBC belt will remain after my fight with Crawford on July 23. Just above the WBO belt. I am looking forward to destroying Crawford — destroying his perfect record and destroying his reign as world champion.”
ROACH
“Crawford can box and move and is a very good fighter. I think both fighters are very complete boxers and both have good amateur backgrounds and great pro backgrounds. They have one common opponent — Hank Lundy. Crawford knocked him out but when we fought him four years ago and won a decision, Lundy was in his prime. And just because I am impressed by Crawford doesn’t mean I am intimidated by him. Viktor will break him down just as he did with Matthysse. He has a lot of patience which comes from experience. He’s going to break Crawford down brick by brick, with his jabs and his body shots. Viktor leaves nothing to chance. No one works harder in the gym than Viktor. I give Crawford a lot of credit for taking this fight. But bravery will only take you so far in this game and in this fight it won’t be taking Crawford into the winner’s circle.”
Crawford vs. Postol takes place Saturday, July 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
