THE Iceman cometh. Barry McGuigan calls Viktor ‘the Iceman’ Postol the best fighter to set foot in Scotland since Terence Crawford pitched up at Braehead four years ago to take possession of Ricky Burns’ WBO title. But the burning question at the SSE Hydro on the evening of Saturday June 23 will simply be whether he or Josh Taylor will be the best fighter in Scotland on that particular night, in a contest which is already shaping up as one for the ages. So who exactly is this battle-hardened 34-year-old from Greater Kyiv, who turned up in the West End yesterday resembling for all the world a miniature version of Wladimir Klitscho? And what exactly does he have to say for himself?

Forget Charlie Flynn. Fittingly considering his name, Postol wrote the book when it comes to delivering on the big stages of world boxing. He has lost just once in the 29 fights as a professional, 12 of which victories have come by way of knock-out. But what goes unspoken in that record is the fact that the only man to beat him was Crawford, the man who unified the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO belts at light welterweight (or super lightweight) before moving triumphantly up to see what the welterweight division has to offer. And even that was on points. The two men had one world title belt each when Crawford produced a devastating display in that world title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 2016 and now Postol, who went in as the WBC Champion, wants his back.

No shortage of fighters are jockeying for position to fill the void left by Crawford but both Taylor and Postol will feel pretty good about their chances if they are still standing after this one. Current title holder Jose Carlos Ramirez and his fellow American and interim champion Regis Prograis have been told to fight next by the WBC, but both have committed to alternative bouts this summer first. Were it not for a broken left thumb which prevented him taking on Prograis in March, Postol could have been one step closer already.

“Terence Crawford is definitely one of the best fighters in the world,” Postol said yesterday. “Honestly, I am happy I fought him. Because after the fight I made my conclusions – and now I’m a better fighter for it. Crawford has moved up already and, of the fighters left in the division, I feel I am strong. Am I the best in the division now? I have to beat Josh Taylor first, then we will see. But whoever wins this fight will definitely be the best.

“I broke my thumb sparring in January but it’s fine now.. Maybe I could have been fighting for the title already, if I hadn’t been injured. It’s a bit sad because I showed all the papers to prove it was only a small fracture and the fight didn’t need to be cancelled. I could have fought in a month. But I still have a chance. I just have to beat Taylor first. I don’t see this as my last chance of fighting for the world title.”

This was a respectful press conference, far removed from the trash talking of Taylor’s set-to with O’Hara Davies, but both these men have a huge amount on the line. Fully seven years older than the WBC Silver champion from Prestonpans, Postol has taken the unorthodox step of returning to his native Ukraine for the training camp, away from the luxuries of his Los Angeles base. “I used to do all my camps in Los Angeles,” he said. “But, for this fight, I’m going to be preparing in the Ukraine. It’s closer to Scotland, for a start, so I find it much easier to acclimatise if I go there first. I will have good sparring partners at home, plus a lot of different advantages. You will see all of these things come together in the ring.”

To say that the Ukraine is a hotbed of boxing talent is to risk under-stating the case. The Klitschko brothers may belong to another era now, but the remarkable Vasyl Lomachenko is collecting world titles like candy, while Oleksandr Usyk, the current WBC and WBO cruiserweight champ, is rated in some places as the biggest threat to Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight crowns. The key, much like in Taylor’s case, tends to be a long amateur career.

“I get told all the time that I look like Klitschko,” said Postol. “And of course he’s a hero of mine. Actually, Klitschko has worked with the trainer who is now working with me.Whenever he comes to my city, we meet.

“The first secret to Ukrainian boxing success is hard work. And more hard work. It all begins by aiming for the Olympic gold. If they don’t get that, then they turn professional and try to realise their dreams in the pro ranks. I never got to the Olympics but I decided to turn pro – and I became World Champion instead. I cannot say that I’m a big star in Ukraine because it wasn’t too long that I held the world title. But people recognise me on the street, they know who I am.

“Experience will definitely count in my favour, absolutely. In my 30 fights, I’ve seen everything there is to see. Josh has only fought 12 times – so I’m going to use all of my experience to gain an advantage. Of course I’ve seen film of Taylor fighting. He’s a good opponent. I can’t say I saw any particular weaknesses. But I will also say I didn’t see anything spectacular. The only concern is that I will be fighting in his home town. But, apart from that, there is nothing to fear.”