Viktor Postol performed admirably with the weight of his world on his shoulders Saturday night.

The brave Ukrainian veteran battled Gary Antuanne Russell throughout their 141-pound bout, but the younger, stronger Russell remained unbeaten by recording a questionable stoppage late in the 10th and final round of a fight Russell clearly was winning. Russell dealt well with Postol’s experience and range, landed the more effective punches and won what was a step up in competition by technical knockout at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Russell (15-0, 15 KOs) almost went the distance for the first time in his five-year pro career against Postol (31-4, 12 KOs), a former WBC super lightweight champion. The 2016 U.S. Olympian hadn’t boxed beyond the sixth round in any of his first 14 professional fights.

The Capitol Heights, Maryland, native hurt Postol with a right hook with just under 40 seconds to go in the 10th round. Postol stumbled, but he remained on his feet.

Referee Mike Ortega stepped between them and halted the action at 2:31 of the 10th round. Russell became the first opponent to stop Postol inside the distance.

Postol performed with a lot on his mind. He plans to rejoin his wife, Olga, and their twin 5-year-old boys, Lukyam and Timofey, by Monday in their war-torn country.

He cannot fly directly to Ukraine because all commercial flights in and out of his home country have been canceled since Russia invaded it Wednesday.

Postol lives in Brovary, a suburb east of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital that Russian forces are trying to overtake. He intends to fly to a neighboring country, Poland or Romania, and then drive home to help protect his family.

The 25-year-old Russell, a younger brother of former WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr., entered the ring as a 5-1 favorite over Postol, according to Caesars Sportsbook. Before Saturday night, the 38-year-old Postol had lost only 12-round decisions to unbeaten WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford, undisputed, undefeated junior welterweight champ Josh Taylor and former WBC/WBO 140-pound champ Jose Ramirez.

Postol ended a layoff that lasted almost 18 months. He hadn’t boxed since he lost a 12-round majority decision to Ramirez (26-1, 17 KOs) in August 2020 at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

Russell began to wear down Postol in the 10th and final round. A right hook by Russell buzzed Postol and made him move away from Russell with approximately 25 seconds to go.

Postol attempted to survive and seemed like he would remain on his feet, but Ortega stepped between them anyway.

Postol pumped his jab during the ninth round, but Russell again landed the harder straight lefts and right hooks consistently.

Russell drilled Postol with a straight left that snapped his head back with just over a minute to go in the ninth round. Postol landed two right hands thereafter, but Russell continued to walk through those punches.

Russell landed a left hand that got Postol’s attention with just over 1:10 on the clock in the eighth round. He followed up with a right hook several seconds later.

Postol landed multiple right hands toward the end of the eighth round, but Russell fired back with several clean left hands that caught his taller opponent.

Postol landed a left uppercut with about 1:35 to go in the seventh round. Postol’s straight right landed with just under 50 seconds remaining in the seventh round.

Russell snapped back Postol’s head with just over a minute on the clock in the sixth round. The aggressor mostly had trouble landing flush punches otherwise in that round.

Postol established some distance during the fifth round, but an undeterred Russell pressed him for almost all three minutes. Postol’s jab was effective with his jab in that round and came forward more than he had done during the first four rounds.

Russell and Postol traded right uppercuts with just over 2:15 on the clock in the fourth round. Postol clipped Russell with a right uppercut that connected with 1:15 to go in the fourth round.

A straight left by Russell stopped Postol in his tracks with just under 40 seconds to go in the fourth round.

Russell landed two lefts up top just before the halfway point of the third round. Postol worked well off his jab at other points of the third round.

With just about a minute to go in the third round, Russell connected with a counter left. Postol took that shot well, but Russell seemed to affect Postol with a left to his body that landed with approximately 35 seconds to go in the third round.

Postol connected with a right hand just after the midway mark of the second round. Russell pressed the action again in round two, but he had trouble catching the former champion with flush punches.

Postol’s left hand landed with just over 1:45 to go in the opening round, but Russell landed a counter left hook. Postol’s counter right hand landed with just under a minute on the clock in the first round.

Russell pressured Postol throughout that first round, but Postol attempted to establish distance while working off his back foot.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.