VIKTOR Postol warned Josh Taylor last night that even a red-hot Glasgow crowd won’t be able to throw the Iceman off his stride., writes Stewart Fisher.

The 34-year-old Ukrainian is known for his unflappable demeanour and with an 11-year professional career under his belt, reckons he will able to cope with anything a sizeable, passionate crowd at the SSE Hydro on Saturday night will be able to throw at him. Whether he will be able to keep the power punching of Taylor at arms’ length for the duration of the fight is another matter.

“I know the Scottish fans have a big reputation and are very noisy but they don’t bother me at all,” said Postol. “I have had experience of fighting in big arenas in California and Los Angeles. So I’ll just go in and do my job. It’s just him and me in the ring, not his fans.”

He may be in his mid-30s and giving away seven years to his Scottish opponent., but Postol is convinced that he is in the best shape of his career. A former wearer of the WBC belt, when he stopped Lucas Matthysse in 2015, Postol wants the title back. Matthysse, on the other hand, now faces the legendary Manny Pacquaio in the welterweight division in mid-July.

“That was my biggest win and a big statement,” said Postol. “It showed how good I am and I was really proud of myself. Everybody wanted to avoid him and I won against the best at that time.

“But I think Pacquaio wins it now. Matthyse is slow now and he won’t catch Pacquiao.”