Going into what will be his first HBO Pay Per View battle as the headliner, WBO Super Lightweight Champion Boxer Terence Crawford (28-0, 20KOs) has a lot on his mind as he faces fellow undefeated WBC Super Lightweight Champion Viktor Postol (28-0, 12KOs) on Saturday, July 23, 2016 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada and set to be broadcast live on HBO Pay Per View.
For Crawford, who has had the honor in 2014 of being named The Boxing Writer’s Association’s Fighter of the Year, it would appear that the grand accolades that his opponent Viktor Postol has received, largely based on his win over Lucas Matthysse in 2015 have felt like a bit of a slap in the face to the accomplished 28 year old fighter.
Nevertheless, the sting of what Crawford feels has been a case of being underappreciated in the press and it might be quite good when it comes to actionable entertainment value come fight night.
The perceived slight seems to be energizing both Crawford and his trainer Brian McIntyre when it comes to their dedication to significantly lower Postol’s stock or pull out all the pugilistic stops trying when it comes to July 23rd.
Other subjects were equally high on Crawford’s list when we caught up with him at his recent press conference at Hollywood’s Fortune Gym, like current domestic civil problems when it comes to Black Lives Matter, police brutality and the purpose of the second amendment.
Crawford, who has experienced gun violence himself, was only 21 years old when he survived what could have been a fatal gunshot wound to the head after a dice game in his home town of Omaha, Nebraska.
Crawford, along with McIntyre and his Hall of Fame Promoter Bob Arum, had some compelling words on how they see this nation’s current struggles with issues of race, class, divisions between minority communities and police enforcement, as well as how professional boxing fits into that whole discussion.
Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol is scheduled for tonight (July 23) on HBO PPV at 9pm ET live from the MGM Garden Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
See our interviews with Crawford, McIntyre and Arum below:
