Unified WBC and WBO super-lightweight champion José Ramírez came through a difficult fight last night against an experienced former champion in Viktor Postol.
Postol came into the fight with a record of 31-2, with the two losses coming via way of unanimous decisions against pound for pound star Terrence 'Bud' Crawford and WBSS winner Josh Taylor.
Although expected to pose a puzzle for Ramírez, at age 36, Postol wasn't favoured to get the win, but in a real 'what do you like?' type of encounter, there will be many who think he did just that.
At the end of the 12 rounds, Ramírez was awarded a majority decision with the judges scoring it 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112 - a fair decision in a close fight that came down to what style of boxing you prefer.
José Ramírez wins close decision over Viktor Postol
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Ramírez remains on course for an undisputed showdown against Josh Taylor after edging a decision win over Postol
Postol controlled the range well with the jab, which combined with great movement for a man of his age, was for the most part extremely effective in preventing Ramírez from working on the inside.
The problem for Postol, however, was that while he boxed well, his offence tends not to catch the eye and his lack of power meant he struggled to deter Ramírez from coming forward and being the aggressor - something which can often sway the judges' opinion.
Ramírez will be relieved to have come through a tricky opponent and can now set his sights on a unification with the man holding the other two belts in the weight class, Scotland's Josh Taylor.
A match-up between Ramírez and Taylor would see one of them replicate the achievement of Terrence Crawford by unifying all four belts and becoming the undisputed super-lightweight champion of the word.
Before any of that can happen though, Taylor has his own title defence to get through against a potential banana skin in Thailand's undefeated Apinun Khongsong.
The problem for Postol, however, was that while he boxed well, his offence tends not to catch the eye and his lack of power meant he struggled to deter Ramírez from coming forward and being the aggressor - something which can often sway the judges' opinion.
Ramírez will be relieved to have come through a tricky opponent and can now set his sights on a unification with the man holding the other two belts in the weight class, Scotland's Josh Taylor.
A match-up between Ramírez and Taylor would see one of them replicate the achievement of Terrence Crawford by unifying all four belts and becoming the undisputed super-lightweight champion of the word.
Before any of that can happen though, Taylor has his own title defence to get through against a potential banana skin in Thailand's undefeated Apinun Khongsong.