Primed And Ready

Garcia was always prepared for his Easter test, writes Chris Walker

- Chris Walker

MIKEY GARCIA always believed a fight with Robert Easter Jnr was imminent. When speaking to this publication earlier this year ahead of his harder than-expected unanimous decision over Sergey Lipinets in March, Garcia, although dreaming of Vasyl Lomachenko and Jorge Linares, admitted that a showdown with his fellow unbeaten was likely if negotiations with the aforementioned stars failed to get off the ground. This Saturday ( July 28), the fight becomes official, with Garcia’s WBC lightweight title, along with the IBF strap owned by Easter, on the line in a unification meeting at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (Tom Brown promotes and Showtime televise).

Despite being third choice on Garcia’s list of desires, Easter, 21-0 (14), without the market value of other names in his weight class, looks a decent test for the talented Californian. An amateur who amassed a vast quantity of unpaid ring time, Easter just missed out on a place at the 2012 Olympics, but that setback was quickly forgotten as he joined the professional ranks and got down to business with menacing intent.