IBF lightweight champion Robert Easter Jr. maintained his undefeated record with a split-decision win over Javier Fortuna at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Easter, who was more active and had a slight edge in connections, found himself on the receiving end of the harder punches delivered by Fortuna. Surprisingly, the jab seemed to be a non-factor in the bout, as the vast majority of the 250 combined landed punches between the two fighters were power shots.
Easter landed 10 of 47 punches per round, a decrease from his previous three fights where he averaged 16 of 56 punches landed per round. Despite Fortuna being over the lightweight limit of 135 pounds and therefore ineligible to win the title, Easter's victory was met with heavy booing from the crowd, potentially hindering his aspirations for a unification match in the division.
Now, Easter is eyeing matchups with either WBC champion Mikey Garcia or WBA champion Jorge Linares, both of whom are prominent figures in the lightweight division. Linares is set to defend his title against Mercito Gesta, while Garcia is moving up to the junior welterweight division in March to challenge IBF champion Sergey Lipinets, with plans to return to lightweight for significant fights afterward.
Despite being six inches taller than Fortuna, the 5-foot-11 Easter predominantly engaged in close-quarters combat throughout the match, where he frequently found himself on the receiving end of Fortuna's short punches. Fortuna's holding behind Easter's head resulted in a point deduction in the second round, which prevented him from potentially securing a draw on one of the scorecards and making the fight a split draw. However, Fortuna expressed a desire for another opportunity before Easter explores other options.
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