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(June 30, 2017) Robert Easter Jr. hoped to be the first boxer to stop Denis Shafikov in his second title defense. Instead, the 135-pound champion had to grind it out over 12 rounds against the toughest opponent of his career to remain unbeaten. Defending his world title in his hometown for the second straight time, Easter probably didn’t use his significant length advantage as much as he should have, but he was still able to land the better shots throughout the fight and earn a hard-fought unanimous decision over the relentless Shafikov. Easter landed thunderous power shots from the outside early in the fight, but Shafikov made it clear that he was not going to be deterred. The 5-foot-5 southpaw continually pressed forward against the 5-foot-11 champion, often fighting with his forehead planted firmly in Easter’s left shoulder. With Shafikov bringing the action inside, Easter abandoned his jab for a few rounds, turning it into the kind of fight that the Russian was looking for. When the fight was conteste
