Robert Easter Jr has the next defense if his IBF lightweight title set once again for his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Top ranked Russian contender Denis Shafikov will be his opponent as mandated by the IBF and he figures to be a great test for the young champion. BounceTV here is a major downside though. The fight deserves much better coverage.
This is a really good fight that is ending up in a pretty poor situation. BounceTV is trying, but its presentation for its PBC cards has felt quite amateur up to this point. Not that it matters, really, because no one watches them. PBC kingpin Al Haymon has a significant stake in Bounce, however, so these cards are not going away. At the very least, Bounce is a home for a good fight. I’d like to think Easter/Shafikov could find a home elsewhere, but I am not in there negotiating.
This will be Denis Shafikov’s (38-2-1, 20 KOs) third attempt at a title, most recently having lost a very competitive bout with two division titlist Rances Barthelemy in December of 2015. He is 2-0 since then, first thoroughly dominating and stopping previously unbeaten PBC prospect Jamal Herring before getting a fair decision win in Russia against a real contender in Ghana’s Richard Commey to earn this shot.
Commey is who Easter Jr (19-0, 14 KOs) won his vacant belt against in a super close, very exciting fight. He has defended it once against Luis Cruz in what was sort of a victory lap type bout. Cruz didn’t deserve the slot, but Easter Jr was given the easy fight in his hometown as more of a celebration of his title win than an actually fight. He predictably dominated, but less predictably he proved to be a big draw in Toledo where there is little history of big boxing crowds. Accordingly, Toledo is now where the money is if you are facing Robert Easter Jr.
No undercard has been announced as of yet.
