BY KEITH IDEC
July 15, 2023 Source: Boxing Scene
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
Elvis Rodriguez produced the most noteworthy win of his career Saturday night.
The Dominican southpaw stopped Ukrainian veteran Viktor Postol early in the seventh round of their Showtime co-feature at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) dropped Postol with a right hook late in the sixth round and rocked the former WBC super lightweight champion with another right hook early in the seventh round, which prompted referee Celestino Ruiz to step between them to halt the action just 23 seconds into the seventh round.
The bloodied Postol (31-5, 12 KOs) was stopped on his feet in a second consecutive fight at The Cosmopolitan. Unlike his 10th-round, technical-knockout loss to Gary Antuanne Russell in February 2022, Postol didn’t complain about Ruiz’s stoppage. Rodriguez, 27, has won four fights in a row since Kenneth Sims Jr. upset him by majority decision in their eight-rounder in May 2021 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Postol, 39, ended a 16-month layoff. Before he faced Rodriguez, with whom Postol had sparred many times, he hadn’t boxed since Russell (16-0, 16 KOs) controversially stopped him late in the 10th round of a February 2022 bout Postol was losing on all three scorecards at The Cosmopolitan.
In the round before the stoppage, Rodriguez’s hard shots to Postol’s head and body made Postol move away from him with just over 30 seconds remaining in the sixth round. Then Rodriguez’s right hook sent Postol to one knee with 17 seconds to go in the sixth round.
Postol answered Ruiz’s count in time and the round ended before the action resumed.
A right uppercut by Rodriguez got Postol’s attention 45-plus seconds into the sixth round.
Rodriguez’s right hand rocked Postol with just over 20 seconds to go in the fifth round. Postol took an awkward step after absorbing that flush punch from Rodriguez.
Rodriguez drilled Postol with a left after Postol’s right landed with just over 1:50 on the clock in the fifth round.
Postol drilled Rodriguez with a right to his body, but Rodriguez fired right back with a left hand with just over 1:40 remaining in the fourth round.
Rodriguez’s right hook landed with just over 20 seconds to go in the third round. A right-left combination by Rodriguez wobbled Postol just after the midway mark of the third round. Postol held Rodriguez to prevent his opponent from following up. Rodriguez’s right hook knocked Postol off balance with just over 20 seconds remaining in the second round.
Rodriguez landed a left hand a little less than 30 seconds into the second round. Postol snuck a right hand around Rodriguez’s guard barely five seconds into the second round. Both boxers were careful during the first round and neither fighter landed many punches in those opening three minutes. Postol did land a hard right to Rodriguez’s body, though, with just over 20 seconds to go in the first round.
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