Viktor Postol vs Gary Antuanne Russell Preview Feb. 26th, 2022
Viktor Postol of Ukraine takes on unbeaten southpaw Gary Antuanne Russell of Capitol Heights, Maryland in a 10-round junior welterweight bout Las Vegas this Saturday, Feb. 26th. The fight can be seen live on Showtime in America and on TSN 5 in Canada. Postol last fought in August 2020 when he dropped a majority decision to Jose Ramirez in a shot at the WBO and WBC Junior Welterweight Belts. Russell stopped Jovanie Santiago after six rounds in his last outing in May.
Postol vs Russell Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Viktor Postol +450
- Gary Antuanne Russell -700
My Pick
Postol is a former WBC Junior Welterweight Champion who’s now 38 years old and has a fine record of 31-3 with 12 Kos. His first defeat came in a title unification bout with Terence Crawford in July, 2016 when he dropped a unanimous decision. Postol had beaten Lucas Matthysse of Argentina for the vacant WBC title by a 10th-round stoppage in October, 2015. Postol is regarded as a fine boxer who throws his punches in bunches. He’s fought mainly in Ukraine and took a huge step up in class when he beat Matthysse.
His second defeat came at the hands of Josh Taylor in 2018 by unanimous decision in a shot at Taylor’s WBC Silver Super Lightweight Title. Postol originally made a name for himself in the U.S. back in May, 2014 when he beat Selcuk Aydin by outboxing him all night long and then stopping him in the 11th round. It was the first time Aydin never made it the distance in 28 contests. Postol proved that stoppage wasn’t a flash in the pan though with his stoppage of Matthysse, but then ran into one of the best when he met Crawford.
Postol’s power could be underrated as his current knockout ratio is just 35.3 per cent, but he has a relatively heavy punch. He stands 5-feet-11-inches tall with a reach of 73.5 inches. He enjoyed an excellent amateur career with more than 300 bouts and is as technically as sound as they come. He possesses better-than-average defensive qualities and is quite mobile in the ring. Postol has boxed 276 rounds since turning pro in 2007and has also beaten Hank Lundy, DeMarcus Corley and Yvan Mendy.
Russell is just 25 years old and is one of the fighting Russell brothers who are all named Gary. He owns a perfect record of 14-0 with all 14 wins coming by way of stoppage for a 100 per cent knockout mark. He has just 29 rounds of experience under his belt since making his pro debut in 2017. Before that he enjoyed a fine amateur career as he boxed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and lost in the quarterfinals in the light welterweight division.
Russell stands 5-feet-10-inches tall with a wingspan of 69 inches which means he’s an inch shorter than Postol but has a 4.5-inch reach disadvantage. He’s never made it out of the sixth round as a pro as he has seven first-round knockouts, three in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth and one in the sixth. He’s taking a step up in class though as his biggest wins have been against Wilmer Rodriguez, Marcos Mojica, Luis Leal, Juan Huertas and Jovanie Santiago.
Prediction…
Postol is a polished and experienced boxer who went the distance with Terence Crawford and stopped Lucas Matthysse but is now 38 years old. He’s never been stopped but will be facing a boxer who has won all 14 fights by knockout. Russell possesses power and good boxing skills so may want to box Postol instead of looking for a stoppage. This is a good test for Russell but considering Postol’s age it’s one he should pass as long as he works hard enough for it.
Russell is 13 years younger than Postol.
Play Russell -700 @ BetOnline.ag
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Gary Antuanne Russell betting • Viktor Postol betting