Robert East Jr and Rnaces Barthelemy looking to put their careers back on the championship track
Reports are surfacing that former IBF lightweight champion Robert Easter Jr will try to bounce back from his first defeat against former 2 weight world champion Rances Barthelemy.
The fight is tentatively scheduled for April 27 for the WBA “regular” lightweight title.
This is a pivotal match-up for both men.
Easter will be looking to rebound from a July 2018 defeat at the hands of Mikey Garcia. In the case of Barthelemy, he won titles at both 130lbs and 135lbs before losing a rematch to Kiryl Relikh for a vacant 140lbs title.
Although, he’s suffered from periods of inactivity, he most recently bounced back with a win over journeymen Robert Frankel.
Barthelemy, a stand out Cuban amateur, is the brother of fellow professional boxers Yan and Leduan Barthelemy. While he’s had more succes in the pro ranks, he recently commented on how important it is that his brother Yan will now be in his camp.
The former Olympic gold medalist coupled with Cuban boxing legend Joel Casamayor by his side, expect a reinvigorated “Kid Blast” to show up for this fight.
As for Easter Jr, he is quietly amassing a string of really tough opponents. The Toledo, Ohio native suffered criticisms for his fights with current IBF champion Richard Commey, Dennis Shafikov, and Javier Fortuna for not using his physical tools to his advantage.
The truth is those are all quality operators and even if fans felt the outcomes were controversial, the second generation boxer came away with win.
This is a very intriguing match up for fans. A win for either fighter quickly erases memories of recent title bout defeats.
In addition, the winner will become the WBA “regular” champion which that puts them in prime position to challenge divisional stalwart and current WBA “super” champion Vasily Lomachenko.
By: Tanner Gill
