(FILES) In this file photo taken on July 23, 2016 WBC junior welterweight champion Viktor Postol of Ukraine heads to his corner at the end of a round during his unification fight with WBO champion Terence Crawford at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Ukrainian boxer Viktor Postol, a former world champion at 140 pounds, is thinking of his family and the war in his homeland as he prepares for a crucial fight Saturday.
The 38-year-old fighter faces unbeaten American Gary Antuanne Russell in Las Vegas in a battle of contenders in the junior lightweight division, where British southpaw Josh Taylor is the undisputed champion.
But it’s a struggle not to ponder the Russian soldiers who have invaded his homeland.
“The situation in Ukraine has escalated a lot and it’s hard not to think about it,” Postol said. “I’m working on focusing on the fight. My family is in the middle of everything, but they are safe and that’s what is most important.”
Postol, who held the World Boxing Council light-welterweight crown for nine months in 2015-16, has not fought since dropping a majority decision to American Jose Ramirez in August 2020 for two world titles.
“I feel young and strong. I believe in myself,” Postol said. “I’m very confident that I will become world champion again. This fight is a step toward achieving that feat again.”
Postol, 31-3 with 12 knockouts, faces a 25-year-old southpaw who was a 2016 Olympian and stands 14-0 with every victory by knockout.
“I hope with everything going on back home for Postol in Ukraine that it motivates him and makes him hungry to give the world a great fight,” Russell said.