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Robert Easter Jr (21-0, 14 KO) is preparing to face Mikey Garcia (38-0, 30 KO) on July 28 in Los Angeles, live on Showtime, in a lightweight title unification bout at the Staples Center.
The 27-year-old Easter, the underdog in the bout, gives some notes from his camp:
“I decided to go to Florida for a different environment than I usually trained in. I needed to be taken out of my comfort zone. At home, I was focused on too many other things. Coming to West Palm Beach has allowed me to focus on nothing but myself and boxing.”
“I was with Adrien Broner and Gervonta Davis every step of the way during training camp with Kevin Cunningham earlier this year. I saw for myself that it was something I needed to do. I talked with my dad about getting away from the distractions and we agreed this was the right move.”
“People are paying attention to my last couple of fights when I wasn’t using my height and reach. I can improve on that by taking it back to what I had been doing before. I was knocking people out fight after fight.
“If you’re looking at just my last two fights, you aren’t giving me credit for everything I bring to the table. I faced two tough southpaws recently but on July 28 I’m going to show everyone what they’ve been sleeping on and why I’m a world champion.”
“I’ve always wanted to fight the best in my weight class and now I have my chance to unify. I know that Mikey is going to fight his fight and look to counter. He wants to wait for you to make a mistake so he can take advantage.
“What I have to do is go in there and impose my attributes on him. My height and reach are my advantages, but also my speed and power. I just have to combine all that and focus on my footwork.”
“It doesn’t matter to me where we fight. None of the fans can help him fight. It’s only about me and him in that ring together.
“My first pro fight was at Staples Center and even though it was early on an undercard, I still felt like there were 10,000 fans watching me. I just fought my fight. It’s all about staying focused. There will be no excuses on July 28.”