The bout began with Easter using his stature to set up distance, warding off the steady tempo of Garcia. By the 2nd round, Easter appeared jittery against a solid jab shooting Garcia. The 3rd round saw the crowd jump to their feet as Garcia shot off a straight right followed by a left hook, dropping Easter just 25 seconds left in the round. Following the knockdown, Garcia admits, while wanting to land the right, he knew it wasn’t enough to hurt Junior, so keeping composure was the key offensive strategy.
The 7th round saw a steadier Easter push back after eating solid body shots in the earlier rounds, however, it wouldn’t be enough to stay off the ropes. The 9th and most exciting back and forth of the Easter fends off Garcia body shots moving outside enough to set up straight jabs.
Before the beginning the final round, Garcia is reminded to “Not be over confident,” but, continue the steady pace held throughout the match. After going the distance, Garcia receives the unanimous decision win with scores of 116-111, 117-110, and 118-109.
Following his win, Garcia called out Errol Spence, claiming he is ready to chop down the most the most feared boxer in the world today. “I’m here for the biggest challenges and no one is bigger.”
