Garcia will be looking to become a unified champion at lightweight as he takes on the dangerous Easter Jr.
A high stakes matchup between two undefeated champions will take place July 28. WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia will collide with IBF champion Robert Easter Jr.
This unification has the potential to be either an all time great fight or a one-sided dud.
Let’s take a closer look at the two combatants.
Garcia is a four-division champion and currently a pound for pound fighter. He possesses tremendous power, accuracy and counter-punching ability. He’s been in the ring with some of the best and most respected fighters of this era.
When fighting Garcia, his opponent will have to be aware of his explosive power – especially at 135. He’s able to get guys out of there with one punch; just ask Dejan Zlaticanin.
He’s also able to set traps and dictate the pace of a fight with an elite level ring IQ. Exploiting the aggressiveness of his opponents as well as making them pay for the slightest mental lapses is his forte.
Robert Easter Jr. has exceptional skills and tremendous potential. At 5’11″ with a 76″ reach, he has a major advantage when boxing from the outside in the division.
His reach is the envy of most fighters. In addition, he’s extremely athletic with good hand speed and solid power.
The knock on him is his inability to use his physical advantages to make fights less challenging. Some also question his ring IQ because of his lack in using his physical advantages enough. Specifically, he tends to give up his height and reach which in return makes him a much easier target to hit for guys who are at an extreme height disadvantage.
For him to be successful, he’s going to have to fight behind his jab; utilizing his reach to set up fast explosive combinations. He’ll need to make Garcia earn every punch he lands. Make him swing and miss, then jump in and punish him.
For Garcia, he needs to force Easter to make the same mistakes he’s made in previous fights. Most notably, his fight against Javier Fortuna. Get Easter to square himself and get inside that long jab, then go to the body early and often.
Both men will have their moments in this fight. With that being said, it may be difficult to pick against Garcia when analyzing the strengths and weakness of both fighters.
If Garcia takes it, he will be closer to a huge showdown with WBA lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko. If Easter Jr wins, he will most likely find a spot on a pound for pound list.
Catch this fight live on Showtime July 28 at 10 PM Eastern time.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
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