LAS VEGAS -- Terence Crawford checks most of the boxes needed to become a boxing superstar.
He has become a major ticket seller in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, where billionaire businessman Warren Buffett is a big fan and regular attendee of his fights. He has the triumphant backstory of overcoming a difficult upbringing in a rough neighborhood and surviving a gunshot that grazed his skull as a 21-year-old who was in the wrong placed at the wrong time -- counting his winnings after a late-night street dice game.
Surviving that scary situation was a seminal moment in Crawford's life.
"I don't think about it a lot because I like to put it in the past and put it behind me and move on with my life," he said. "But sometimes I do think about how I got a second chance and make the best of it."
He has certainly done that because inside the ring Crawford also gets it done. He has shown tremendous skills and knockout power and has already won lightweight and junior welterweight world titles. He was the fighter of the year in 2014, knocking out then-unbeaten former featherweight titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa in a memorable fight of the year contender.
He can check another important box by beating the best opponent of his career to unify junior welterweight world titles -- and establish division supremacy -- against dangerous Viktor Postol on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
"This is a very big fight for me at a very critical time of my career," Crawford said. "This fight is more meaningful than the Gamboa fight at the moment because this fight can take me to that next level beyond the level that I'm on right now. This fight means a lot, and I do look at it as the biggest fight of my career to date."
It's a fight that matches undefeated boxers in their primes who are 1-2 in the division, in whichever order one elects to place them. Such pairings are rare. The winner is also on the short list to land a Nov. 5 fight against the great Manny Pacquiao.
"This fight I think is the best fight certainly that's been offered to date [this year] to fight fans," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said at Wednesday's final news conference. "It matches two terrific young fighters, each a champion, each with the same record, 28 wins and no defeats, each holding a belt from their respective organizations.
"It has everything that great fights have had for all the years I've been associated with boxing. I've been in boxing for over 50 years, and I've been associated with great, great fights. This fight, to me, is up there with any of the fights that I've promoted."
Crawford (28-0, 20 KOs), headlining in Las Vegas for the first time and also making his third title defense, has heard the talk about his potential as a breakout star for the past few years but has remained focused on his preparation rather than reading his clips or listening to fan chatter.
"There is no pressure on me being looked at as boxing's next superstar, but there is a lot of hard work in becoming one," said Crawford, 28. "I'm really excited to be on the big stage and I'm on that big stage because I paid my dues in the gym and in the ring. That's the reason I have accomplished so much as a fighter -- pride of performance -- and that's why I am going to win on [Saturday].
"If I'm going to solidify my position as the new face of boxing, it starts by unifying the 140-pound division."
Brian McIntyre, Crawford's trainer and co-manager with Cameron Dunkin, has been with him for many years and has long been a believer.
"There is no pressure because it's his destiny," McIntyre said. "All we have to do is keep on winning. The media and the public will see Terence as the best fighter in the world. I don't care who Postol has in his corner [Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach], there is no way we're letting Postol come to our country and take home Terence's title. We are a way better team than they are.
"We have a deep history with each other and we have the heritage that produces legends as well as champions. Postol cannot beat Terence. And Freddie Roach is going to have a front-row seat to watch his fighter get drilled."
Regardless of McIntyre's prediction, Postol appears to be the most formidable opponent of Crawford's career.
"On paper, you could make a case that Postol will be the toughest man I have faced inside the ring, but I won't really know that until I fight him," Crawford said. "When I go into camp, I always assume the opponent I'm training for will be my toughest test. It's the only way I know how to train.
"I cannot afford an off night. It's unacceptable and it's dangerous. No one is going to give me anything in a fight. I have to earn it the old-fashioned way, and that's by taking the fight to my opponent and winning it. Against Postol, I'm not just defending my belt. I'm out to take his too. That's the reason for taking such a tough fight. It is because I wanted to fight the best fighter out there [and] beat the best fighter out there to show that I am the best fighter in the division."
Postol, 32, of Ukraine, first announced himself on the world stage in 2014 with an upset against longtime contender Selcuk Aydin, whom he brutally knocked out in the 11th round of a world title elimination fight. Two bouts later, Postol (28-0, 12 KOs) scored another upset, dominating Lucas Matthysse before stopping him in the 10th round of a fantastic performance in October.
"He does have some good victories, he has a title and he is undefeated," McIntyre said. "So if you look at those credentials, you can't ask for a stronger opponent than that for Terence. Both fighters are risking their titles and their undefeated records -- everything that they have worked so hard to earn -- and that is something that appeals to us and appeals to fans who are looking for the best to fight the best. A victory will lead to bigger and tougher tests, and we welcome that too. I know Terence is the best fighter in boxing. We want him to have the opportunities to prove it."
Although Postol is a heavy underdog at the MGM sports book, he is a skillful technical boxer whose power has improved since he began training with Roach in 2014. He also has a tremendous jab and, at 5-foot-11, will have a 3-inch height advantage over Crawford.
"I've been fighting people taller than me and larger than me all my life," Crawford said. "I've been short for 28 years and I haven't been stopped yet. Postol is nothing to me. He's just another guy that I'm fighting. I'm not training for Postol, I'm training for myself -- to be the best I can possibly be. I do that, then no one can beat me. I'm confident in my abilities and I am confident that I am going to destroy Postol."
As for the perception that Postol has a dominant jab, Crawford said, "It's funny how all of the people are giving Postol all of the credit for his jab but nobody is talking about how good my jab is. So I'm loving it. I'm loving it. I'm loving it how everyone is talking about how good his jab is."
Come fight night, Crawford will have the chance to show if he has the better jab. He will also have the chance to continue making his case that he can become a major star.
"I have worked very hard to get to this point in my career -- to earn the right to headline my first pay-per-view event," Crawford said. "It's very exciting, but I need to keep my eye on the ball. This isn't just opening night for a new phase of my career. I want this to be the beginning of a long run as boxing's next pound-for-pound star and a worthy successor to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr."