To prepare for his first shot at a world championship, Robert Easter Jr. brought everything back to where it all began.
After training for his last five bouts mostly in Washington, D.C., Robert Easter Jr. came home to Toledo, Ohio, to prepare for Friday’s clash with Richard Commey. The two will vie for a vacant 135-pound world title. (Ryan Greene/Premier Boxing Champions)
After training in Washington, D.C., for recent bouts, Easter returned to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, to ready himself for his biggest fight to date.
Robert Easter Jr. (18-0, 15 KOs) will take on Ghana native Richard Commey (24-0, 22 KOs) in a 135-pound title bout Friday at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania (Spike, 9 p.m. ET/PT).
In addition to his regular workouts in Cincinnati, Easter had trained for his last five fights at D.C.’s Headbangers Gym. But he spent all of this camp at Toledo’s Glass City Boxing Gym under the guidance of his father and trainer, Robert Easter Sr.
“I wanted this camp to be focused completely on me," Easter said. "It motivates you to be training in the place where you came from. There’s an energy level you draw from the neighborhood, and it’s coming through with the intensity I’ve shown during my workouts."
The 25-year-old Easter took less than a week to wreck sparring partner Hector Munoz, catching him with a blistering shot up the middle that forced his departure.
“Hector was applying pressure,” Easter said. “So I threw an uppercut that cut his lip real bad. He got stitches and had to leave camp.”
Easter and the hard-punching Commey are vying for the 135-pound crown vacated by Rances Barthelemy, who is stepping up in weight after defending his crown in June against Mickey Bey. Their bout will precede the 160-pound title rematch between world champ Daniel Jacobs and Sergio Mora.
This bout follows Easter's sensational performance in April, when he gained a crushing fifth-round TKO of Algenis Mendez in Washington, D.C., becoming the first man to stop the former 130-pound world champion.
Easter learned that he was getting his first title shot on June 6, which his father's 48th birthday.
“They were giving me a surprise birthday party when we got the call about the fight,” Robert Easter Sr. said. “Our family and friends heard the news and shared the moment with us. It’s meant to be.”
With a victory, Easter will join longtime friends and stablemates Adrien Broner and Rau’shee Warren as world champions. All three fighters work out in Cincinnati with trainer Mike Stafford, who assists Robert Easter Sr. with Easter’s tutelage.
“It’s something all of us have talked about since we first turned pro,” Easter said. “It’s my destiny to become a world champion. I’m going to continue the legacy by bringing this title home, and I’ll make it look easy.”
For complete coverage of Easter vs Commey, visit our fight page.
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