Crawford, ex-Pacquiao sparmate to meet in title showdown

MANILA, Philippines – Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol, both unbeaten 140-pound champions, will meet in a title unification fight July 23 in Las Vegas.

Promoter Bob Arum announced the bout at a news conference Tuesday in Los Angeles, where Postol played off the sound of his name by producing an oversized stamp with his image on it and Crawford said he would mail him back to his native Ukraine.

Both fighters are 28-0 and will put their title belts and unbeaten marks on the line in a scheduled 12-round fight from the MGM Grand arena.

"We are putting our belts and our fists up," Crawford said. "Ukraine is going to feel Postol's pain on July 23. There's only room for one world champion in the 140-pound division."

Crawford, of Omaha, Nebraska, has been impressive in recent fights, winning four of his last five by stoppage. The 2014 fighter of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America will be making his third defense of the WBO version of the title.

Postol, who used to spar with Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao, is coming off the biggest win of his career, stopping heavily favored former world champion Lucas Matthysse in October to win the WBC belt.

"I know Crawford would have preferred not to have fought me, but I give him credit for finally stepping up to fight me," Postol said. "It will be a real test for both of us and a very exciting fight for the fans. Our styles guarantee it."

The fight will be televised on pay-per-view.