(Photo Credit: Gene Belvins – Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions) By Chris Williams: Trainer Freddie Roach dropped a bombshell on Tuesday when he revealed that #2 WBC 140lb contender Viktor Postol (27-0, 11 KOs) is his new favorite fighter, not Manny Pacquiao, a fighter that Roach has been training for many years now.
Roach, 55, has been training Postol for the past two fights, and he’s now facing the toughest opponent of his career in #1 WBC Lucas Matthysse (37-3, 34 KOs) in 10 days from now on October 3rd in a fight televised on HBO World Championship Boxing at the StubHub Center, in Carson, California.
With Roach now dropping saying that Postol is his favorite fighter now, it makes you wonder where it leaves the 36-year-old Pacquiao. Roach already said this week that if Pacquiao doesn’t show him something in his next fight in early 2016, he’ll be giving him the boot.
Roach also said this week that he sees IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin as the new No.1 fighter in boxing now that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has retired from the sport.
Mayweather had said that he thinks that Pacquiao is now the No.1 fighter in boxing now that he’s retiring. Instead of Roach following Mayweather’s lead by agreeing with him about Pacquiao, Roach is saying that Golovkin is the No.1 guy. So where does this leave Pacquiao? Doesn’t look good for him, does it?
Matthysse vs. Postol start time: 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Where to watch? HBO
Postol and Matthysse will be fighting for the vacant WBC World light welterweight title. The winner of the fight will have a lot of great opportunities for big money fights available to them. The loser will need to rebuild their careers and hope to get back to the top quickly.
“Postol doesn’t know it yet but he’s my new favorite fighter,” Roach said. “He works very hard in the gym, does everything we ask and he can bring it. We can win this fight. It is a tough fight but I know we can win, and Postol knows we will win.”
If Roach is going to have a winner on October 3rd, then he’s going to need to make sure that he keeps Postol on his bike the entire fight.
“Box him,” Roach said what his strategy will be for Postol to beat Matthysse in speaking with esnewsreporting.com. “He [Postol] can’t lie on the ropes and take shots from this guy [Matthysse]. He needs to use the middle of the ring and jab, and move around and around again. It’s his fight. This is how he [Postol] fights anyway. It’s not as if it’s new to him. He knows how to box very well, and he’s got a great jab,” Roach added.
As good as Postol has looked in his previous fights, he’s taking a tremendous step up in class in fighting Matthysse. This is a big step for Postol in his career, and a lot bigger than he should be taking. Roach should have insisted that Postol fight better opposition before this fight so that he would be ready for what he’s facing when he gets inside the ring with the hard punching Matthysse. Before this bout, Postol’s best opponent has been Selcuk Aydin, a very flawed fighter.
Other fights on the Matthysse-Postol card are as follows:
Antonio Orozco vs. Humberto Soto
Mercito Gesta vs. Martin Honorio
“I am about to face the strongest, most heavy handed fighter I have ever met in the ring,” Postol said about Matthysse. “That is the reason I am at the Wild Card Gym with Freddie Roach. This is my third fight with Freddie. When I first walked into the Wild Card, I was struck by the smallness of it all-then I walked around and saw the pictures of fighters and champions. These are the fighters Freddie turned into champions. I saw the blood and sweat on the two rings. I now know the history of the greatest place in the world to train.”
Roach is a good trainer, but he’s more known for his ability to develop offensive fighters. Roach has never been known for being a great defensive trainer. That’s what Postol really needs is a defensive trainer for this fight with Matthysse. Postol would be better off with Floyd Mayweather Sr. for this fight than with Roach.
“Freddie never changed by style of fighting,” Postol said. “Instead he made small important changes, adding movement here and there, tweaking things. He and I are together when we go into the ring Oct. 3. We are prepared to fight. We will win.”
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