Ukraine's Viktor Postol avoiding news from home as Gary Antuanne Russell fight nears
LAS VEGAS — Viktor Postol knows a little about what is happening in his homeland, even though he doesn’t want to know. A proud Ukrainian, the former super lightweight champion fights Gary Antuanne Russell on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, Showtime) in a pivotal bout in his career.
Postol, who held the WBC super lightweight title in 2015 and 2016, is 31-3 with 12 knockouts. He’s only been beaten by the best of the best: Terence Crawford, Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez.
Russell is a promising up-and-comer who is a prohibitive -500 to win at BetMGM. Postol is +350.
Postol did the first three weeks of his training camp in Ukraine, before heading to Los Angeles for the final month to finish with Freddie Roach. He left his wife, Olga, and their twin 5-year-old sons, Timothey and Lukyam, at home in Brovary, Ukraine, near the nation’s capital of Kyiv.
He speaks to Olga every day, but tries to avoid watching or reading the news from home. He’s hopeful — almost hoping against hope — that what appears to be an imminent Russian invasion doesn’t occur.
Some Russian troops have already crossed the border into Ukraine, which has called up its reserve troops in preparation for a defense of its homeland. Russia has evacuated its diplomats from Ukraine and on Wednesday, Ukrainian banks and the government were hit by cyberattacks.
President Biden has urged Americans to evacuate Ukraine and has placed economic sanctions on Russia. The president called Russia’s actions “a flagrant violation of international law."
Despite all that, Postol is in Las Vegas, desperately trying to avoid the news as if that might somehow alter Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans. He says he never seriously considered not fighting and said he’s hopeful of a diplomatic solution.
On Saturday, February 26, live on SHOWTIME from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, one of boxing’s most exciting young talents, Chris “Primetime” Colbert (16-0, 6 KOs) meets unbeaten Dominican Olympian Hector Garcia (14-0, 10 KOs) in a 12-round WBA super featherweight world title eliminator atop a high-octane Premier Boxing Champions tripleheader.
Garcia is a late replacement for WBA super featherweight world champion Roger Gutierrez, who was forced to withdraw after a positive COVID-19 test.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) will feature undefeated 2016 US Olympian Gary Antuanne Russell taking a huge step up in class against former world champion Viktor Postol in a 10-round super lightweight bout. Opening the show, IBF Super Flyweight World Champion Jerwin Ancajas defends his title against unbeaten Argentine Fernando Martinez.
Here's a look at the action this Saturday:
Chris Colbert (16-0, 6 KOs) vs. Hector Luis Garcia (14-0, 10 KOs)
Trainer Joe Goossen once referred to “Primetime” Colbert as the “best prospect on the planet” and it’s hard to find fault with that assessment.
A natural righty who can box equally well from southpaw and orthodox stances, the mega-confident 25-year-old is blessed with blinding speed and supreme reflexes. He’s also a patient fighter with ring instincts well beyond his years. Colbert’s complete package has often been referred to as “Mayweather-esque” and, while he has a long way to go before Mayweather-level achievement, the eye test suggests that the Brooklynite, with dominant high-water mark victories over Miguel Beltran, Jezzrel Corrales, Jaime Arboleda, and Tugstsogt Nyambayar, is well on his way to elite-class status.
Now just one fight away from a world title shot, Colbert aims to make a major statement.
Late replacement Garcia, from San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republic, looks to catch Colbert off guard and, possibly, underestimating the task at hand.
Tall and rangy with a relaxed style and a stiff jab, the southpaw presents a different style and mindset than original opponent, Roger Gutierrez. A 2016 Olympian representing his home country, Garcia is trained by renowned Cuban trainer Ismael Salas, who’s had a hand in the development of names such as Yordenis Ugás, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Danny Green, Nonito Donaire, and Jorge Linares.
In his last bout, Garcia scored an impressive unanimous decision victory over Mexico’s Isaac Avelar.
Going on raw talent and general body of work, Colbert comes into Saturday’s contest a huge favorite. But, in boxing’s theater of the unexpected, a heavy favorite being upset by a late replacement and/or caught cold looking to bigger things is hardly unheard of.
Garcia is well-trained, disciplined, and in possession of an all-around sound ring IQ. He’ll look to establish distance with his jab and time the speedy favorite as he comes in. A strong left hand and tenacious body work could be his greatest assets in this bout.
Colbert, however, is so talented and so naturally adept at everything. Beating him will be a Herculean task for even the best of the best. If he’s not caught looking past Saturday’s challenge, this could be an explosive showcase for one of boxing’s next great ones.
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