Monday 25 July 2016 09:03, UK
Terence Crawford confirmed he is the best super-lightweight in the world by dominating a one-sided points win over Viktor Postol.
The unanimous decision saw the Omaha slickster add the WBC belt to his WBO world title and also proved why he is rated one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Crawford produced two flash knockdowns in the fifth round and Postol also lost a point for punching illegally in the 11th to ruin Freddie Roach's chances of springing a surprise and pocketing $9,000.
The world-famous trainer could well be in the opposite corner in Crawford's next fight as the 118-107, 118-107, 117-108 win looks likely to set up a megafight with Manny Pacquiao, with both fighters promoted by Bob Arum.
"I am at the top, I think my performance today put me up there," Crawford told HBO afterwards.
"It was a unification fight and no one is doing that these days, taking on a big threat who is undefeated.
"This wasn't my toughest fight. Not taking any credit away from Postol, it's just that I feel the Yuriorkis Gamboa fight [June 2014] was tougher.
"We knew we were going to go in there with angles and box, take away his jab because one hand isn't going to beat me. If you are a straightforward fighter who's only got the jab, you just aren't going to beat me."
The American known as 'Bud' is likely to be the favourite against Pacquiao after demonstrating his array of punches, his poise and his precise shots from the word go, with the vast majority of the MGM Grand crowd behind him.
Crawford started out orthodox but within 30 seconds switched to southpaw and even if he did not push forward early on, his clever counters suggested Postol was in for a long and hard night.
The Ukrainian had the height and range advantage on paper but in the second round, the first meaningful exchange saw him caught with a quick three-punch combination.
Crawford was circling round with intent and was barely caught in the opening rounds but the two flash knockdowns in the fifth set the pattern. The very first shot after the bell, a straight right, saw Postol stumble and even if the slippery canvas did more damage to his balance then the punch, his knee touched the floor leaving referee Tony Weeks with no choice but to call a count.
The second knockdown though showed the power that Crawford possesses alongside his slickness, with a heavy left to the body sending Postol stumbling back and the following right forcing him to touch down again, this time with his glove.
The two counts meant Postol was forced to press in the second half of the fight but his upright stance and one-dimensional movement left him continually caught by countering shots, with Crawford also willing to show his offensive prowess more and more.
Another heavy left caused Postol to lose his balance again in the eighth, a rapid flurry doing the same in the ninth and his southpaw jab and follow-up left landing at will.
The 11th round summed up the fight, with Postol warned and then deducted a point for hitting round the back of the head on the rare occasion the pair were in a clinch, while Crawford simply smiled, took a breather then came back with another classy combination.
But knowing the boxing world was watching and keen to confirm himself as the best in the super-lightweight division, the American was happy to stay close again in the final round, this time a peach of a short, sharp right denying Postol at least a positive finish to his nightmare.
