By Raymundo Dioses
Robert Easter Jr. is set to defend his International Boxing Federation lightweight title against Mikey Garcia on July 28, 2018 in downtown Los Angeles.
Easter Jr., (21-0, 14KO) won the IBF title on September 9, 2016 with a decision win over Richard Commey and has since made three successful defenses with wins over Luis Cruz (UD) and Denis Shafikov (UD) in 2017 and his most recent title defense against Javier Fortuna (SD) in January 2018.
“This is a fight I’ve been waiting for and I’m really excited that the time is now,” said Easter.
“This is the best fighting the best. These are the fights that boxing is all about. I made the move to train with Kevin Cunningham down in Florida and I think it’s going to help me reach another level. It’s just eat, sleep and train down there. We’re going to be ready on July 28 to put on a show and deliver fireworks.”
Garcia, (38-0, 30KO) won the IBF super lightweight title in his last bout with a unanimous decision win over Sergey Lipinets in March 2018 and will now step down in weight for the Easter Jr. fight in attempts to become a two-time International Boxing Federation champion.
“This is the toughest fight of my career to date,” said the four-division champion Garcia.
“Robert Easter Jr. is an undefeated world champion who presents serious challenges that I’m going to have to work hard to overcome. Unifying titles is something I’ve dreamed of doing for many years, and to do it at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles will make it even more special. This is the kind of fight that will help my legacy. To be the best you have to beat the best, and Easter is certainly one of the best out there. I’m very thankful to have this opportunity and I’m going to make the most of it on July 28.”