Unbeaten WBC Silver Super Lightweight champion Josh Taylor (12-0-0) and number one-ranked contender Viktor Postol (29-1-0) came face to face for the first time on Monday ahead of their WBC title final eliminator on June 23 in Glasgow.
Both men were in good spirits as they spoke before a packed house at the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel, with members of both camps expressing their confidence ahead of a huge night of boxing at the SSE Hydro.
Bantamweight sensation Lee McGregor (3-0-0) was also in attendance, as it was announced he would face Tanzania’s Goodluck Mrema (22-2-0) for the IBF Youth Bantamweight World title as part of the undercard.
Here's what they had to say:
JOSH TAYLOR: “It’s great to be fighting in Glasgow. Every time I’ve been here since the Commonwealth Games the reception has been unbelievable.
"This is definitely the biggest fight of my career to date, and the atmosphere on fight night should give me the extra 10% I need.
“Viktor is someone I have a lot of respect for and he’s shared a ring with some top opposition, but I won’t waste this chance to fight for a world title.
"I don’t know exactly how the fight is going to unfold on June 23, but I know that it’ll be a Josh Taylor win. There’s no way I’m losing this fight in front of those fans.”
VIKTOR POSTOL: “It’s a big pleasure to be here. I know that Josh Taylor is confident, otherwise he would not have taken this fight.
"He is a good boxer, he has a lot of knockouts and I know how dangerous he is. It’s a hard fight to predict, but I know that we both want to win by KO.
"I hope that everybody watches on June 23, and I think I can take a big step towards becoming a world champion once again.”
BARRY MCGUIGAN: “This is the most important fight of Josh’s career. It’s the final hurdle before we get to fight for the world title, and it’s against a very dangerous opponent.
"It’s going to be a fantastic night of boxing, and I really think Josh will show us what he’s got. He’ll be magnificent, and there’s no doubt about that.
"Viktor Postol is someone we have a great deal of respect for, and he’s definitely the best fighter to travel to Scotland since Terence Crawford.
"This is a major fight for world boxing, and we’re very excited about it.”
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