7:02 am | July 27, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
LOS ANGELES — Lightweight world title unification fights are rare. There have been only 10 in boxing history, the last taking place nearly a decade ago when Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out Juan Diaz in the ninth round to retain a world title and unify it with a vacant belt in the 2009 ESPN.com fight of the year.
The last time Showtime televised a lightweight title unification fight was the most memorable of them all— the legendary first battle between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo in 2005, an epic slugfest regarded by many as the greatest fight in boxing history.
It remains to be seen if Mikey Garcia and Robert Easter Jr. can deliver a memorable fight like those two notable predecessors but they plan to give their best efforts as they seek to unify their 135-pound crowns in a much-anticipated fight on Saturday (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET) at the Staples Center.
“Robert Easter is a tough, undefeated champion and he’s going to come with everything he has,” Garcia said. “This is definitely his biggest fight and I believe we’ll be able to bring the best out of each other.”
Said Easter: “Unification bout, champion versus champion, undefeated versus undefeated, two warriors. (Saturday) you will see a lot of fireworks and excitement.”
Getting the best fighters in a weight class to fight each other is often quite difficult. And even when it does happen it can be a long, drawn out process. Not so in the case of making Garcia-Easter.
“There are fighters who say they want tough fights and then there are fighters who actually take tough fights. There’s a big difference between these two,” said Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza, who was instrumental in helping make the fight. “Mikey Garcia and Robert Easter Jr. are the fighters who actually take the top fights. Mikey is a top pound-for-pound fighter and Easter is the longest reigning champion at lightweight and probably the most avoided fighter in the division. No one is rushing to fight either of these guys, yet, this was an easy fight to make.”
This is your ESPN.com Ringside Seat for the fight:
Legacy building
Garcia (38-0, 30 KOs) has built a quality legacy already by winning word titles in four weight classes: featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight. He won a junior welterweight belt by outpointing Sergey Lipinets in February to join only Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez to win world titles at 126, 130, 135 and 140 pounds.
Then Garcia quickly vacated the junior welterweight belt to return to lightweight for his first title defense in the unification fight with Easter.
The biggest name on Garcia’s record is former four-division titlist Adrien Broner, who is one of Easter’s closest friends, but a victory over Easter would be the biggest so far of his career.
“Me and Robert Easter Jr. are the only unbeaten champions in the division. So in my eyes, the winner is the best fighter in the division.” Mikey Garcia
“This will be my first title unification match. It does mean a lot to face another unbeaten champion,” Garcia said. “It will help my legacy and my career. I’m taking the proper steps to move forward and cement my name for the ages. There isn’t another fight in front of me right now that gets me excited other than this one against Robert Easter Jr. I’m all about taking the biggest fights.
“Me and Robert Easter Jr. are the only unbeaten champions in the division. So in my eyes, the winner is the best fighter in the division.”
The 27-year-old Easter (21-0, 14 KOs), the underdog, knows what a win over Garcia, one of boxing’s elite pound-for-pound fighters, would mean.
“This can add big attention to my career. It can help me get the recognition that I deserve,” said Easter, who will be making the fourth defense of the vacant belt he won in 2016. “I look at all my fights like a big fight, but obviously this is unification. You will see two warriors in there on Saturday. These are the kind of fights that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. It’s a big fight that I know the fans are going to really enjoy. I’m going to give them something to remember.”
Spence factor
It is rare for a fighter with a major fight sitting in front of him to go into any kind of detail about what he wants next but Garcia, 30, of Moreno Valley, California, has always beaten to his own drummer. While Garcia will face Easter, he has also made no secret of the fight he wants next — a move up to welterweight to challenge world titlist Errol Spence Jr. (24-0, 21 KOs) in what would be a major event and a fight in which Garcia would be the underdog for the first time.
“I’m here to take the biggest fights and biggest challenges and that’s why I’m willing to move up to welterweight,” Garcia said with Easter seated on a few feet away from him at the final news conference on Thursday. “I’m very serious when I say that I will be at welterweight very soon. I really look forward to taking on someone like Errol Spence for that reason because everyone says don’t do it. It’s the biggest threat, the biggest challenge, way out of my league trying to go there. That’s what actually excites me and motivates me. I’m really interested in getting that fight.”
Spence and his trainer, Derrick James, plan to be ringside on a Garcia scouting mission for a potential fight at the end of the year.
While Easter hasn’t had much to say on the topic, trainer Kevin Cunningham is not pleased by all the Spence-Garcia conversation.
“You will see two warriors in there on Saturday. These are the kind of fights that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. It’s a big fight that I know the fans are going to really enjoy. I’m going to give them something to remember.” Robert Easter Jr.
“It’s obvious for the last couple of weeks that Garcia has been talking more about future fights than this fight on Saturday night. They’re talking more about Errol Spence and (lightweight world champion Vasiliy) Lomachenko as opposed to talking about this fight with Robert,” Cunningham said. “I look at that like disrespect and overlooking. I don’t think they’re totally overlooking him but I think it’s totally disrespectful to talk about all these fights next when you haven’t dealt with Robert Easter Jr. yet.”
Said Easter: “I really don’t pay attention to being overlooked or what my opponents say leading up to a fight. We still have to get in there and throw these hands. Nothing said by him or anyone outside bothers me at all.”
Coming home
Although Garcia is from Southern California, he has not boxed here since an undercard appearance at the Staples Center in 2011, well before he won the first of his titles in four weight divisions. Even earlier in his career he rarely fought in his home region.
It has been important to Garcia to fight at home and he specifically wanted to fight at Staples Center so when the fight with Easter was on the drawing board he let his team know that is where he wanted the fight to take place.
“I’m very happy to be fighting again in Los Angeles. It’s been seven years since I fought here,” Garcia said. “To give fans a chance to see this big fight live at Staples Center is a great thing. I’m very thankful that we could have the fight here. Most opponents wouldn’t have come here.
“I’m coming back to Staples Center as a world champion and I have a chance to unify in my hometown. There’s nothing better that I could ask for. I’m going to do everything I can to come out victorious on Saturday night.”
Said Robert Garcia, Mikey’s brother and trainer: “Mikey fighting at home in front of his hometown fans is huge for us. We know that there’s extra pressure that comes with it, but everything we’ve done together so far in his career has prepared him for it. I’m confident it’s going to bring out the best in him.”
Easter, who made both of his title defenses in 2017 in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, was fine to fight Garcia on his turf in Southern California. It won’t be an unfamiliar location.
In November 2012, Easter made his professional debut at the Staples Center on the Abner Mares-Anselmo Moreno undercard.
“Early in my career I fought a lot on the West Coast and my first pro fight was actually at Staples Center. So I’m very excited to be back in front of a big exciting crowd,” Easter said.
Rafael’s prediction: Garcia by decision.
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