Undefeated Robert Easter Faces Javier Fortuna Jan 20th Barclay

Published by Shawn C.

*BROOKLYN* (December 22, 2017) – Undefeated 135-pound world champion *Robert
Easter* will defend his IBF Title against former world champion *Javier
Fortuna* in the co-main event of Errol Spence Jr. vs. Lamont Peterson live
on *SHOWTIME* (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) on Saturday, Jan. 20 from Barclays
Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING® and presented by Premier Boxing
Champions.

Easter vs. Fortuna rounds out the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader
that features IBF Welterweight World Champion and 2012 U.S. Olympian Spence
making his first title defense against former two-division world champion
Peterson.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING PRELIMS, unbeaten light heavyweight
Marcus* Browne*, from Staten Island, will take on once-beaten *Francy Ntetu* in
a 10-round fight and undefeated heavyweight sensation *Adam Kownacki*, who
fights out of Brooklyn by way of Lomza, Poland, will face once-beaten *Iago
Kiladze* of Kiev, Ukraine in a 10-round bout.

The live digital offering will be exclusive in the U.S. on the SHOWTIME
Sports YouTube channel and the SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page.

SHOWTIME is the only network to offer live streaming coverage of boxing on
social media platforms in the U.S., having first done so in 2016 with the
presentation of two heavyweight world championship bouts live on YouTube.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and
TGB Promotions, are priced starting at $50, and are on sale now. The
Easter-Fortuna bout is promoted in association with Sampson Boxing and
About Billions Promotions. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com,
barclayscenter.com, at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center or
by calling 800-745-3000 <(800)%20745-3000>. Group discounts are available
by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.

Easter (20-0, 14 KOs) will be making the third defense of his lightweight
world title since he won it with a split decision over Richard Commey on
Sept. 9, 2016. The 26-year-old Easter successfully defended the title twice
in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio last year, defeating Luis Cruz by unanimous
decision on Feb. 10 and then following it up with a unanimous decision
victory over Denis Shafikov in his last outing on June 30.

“When I first won the title I knew that many obstacles would be thrown at
me, but that’s what the game is all about,” Easter said. “I’ve
successfully overcome them and defended the title in some tough fights
and on January 20th we’re looking to do the same thing. I believe every
fighter can give you problems, but professionals make adjustments and take
over the fight. That’s what I’m going to do. I know he’s a former world
champion looking to regain a title, but this time he signed up for the
wrong guy. We always work hard and we’ve turned it up a notch since we
found out who the opponent would be. I’m just excited. I’m ready to go
today if I have to.”

Fortuna (33-1-1, 23 KOs) is returning to the scene of his first world
championship victory when he defeated then-champion Bryan Vasquez by
unanimous decision for the 130-pound title at Barclays Center on May 29,
2015. Fortuna lost the title to Jason Sosa by technical knockout in
Beijing, China on June 24, 2016, in a fight Fortuna led on the scorecards.
The 28-year-old southpaw who fights out of Braintree, Mass. by way of
Dominican Republic, has won four straight since his lone loss to get in
contention for a title at 135 pounds, including triumphs over
then-undefeated fighters Omar Douglas and Nicolas Polanco.

“I’m just very gracious, appreciative and honored for the opportunity to
fight for the world title again,” Fortuna said. “I feel really good about
this fight. With God first I will be a world champion again. Easter is
tall, active and he’s strong. But I feel like I’m stronger and I can punch
much harder. Training is going smoothly now, but the intensity will pick up
as we get closer to the fight. ”

Browne (20-0, 15 KOs) has put together back-to-back impressive knockout
victories to continue his rapid rise up the highly competitive 175-pound
division. The 27-year-old southpaw knocked out Thomas Williams, Jr. in
Cincinnati on Feb. 18, and followed it up with another stunning knockout
victory over then-unbeaten Seanie Monaghan in Long Island on July 15. The
2012 U.S. Olympian will look to put himself in position for a world title
fight with a convincing win on Jan. 20.

Ntetu (17-1, 4 KOs) was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but
lives and trains out of Quebec, Canada. The veteran won his first 16 pro
fights, including victories over experienced challengers Milton Nunez and
Oscar Riojas. Ntetu previously fought at Barclays Center in June 2016 when
he went toe-to-toe with current super middleweight world champion David
Benavidez before eventually suffering the first loss of his career.

Kownacki (16-0, 13 KOs) has made steady progress up the heavyweight ladder,
scoring knockout victories in his last three matches. The 28-year-old
Kownacki will be fighting for the sixth time at Barclays Center in his
hometown of Brooklyn. In his last fight he knocked out former world title
challenger Artur Szpilka at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. on July 15 in
a matchup of top Polish heavyweights.

Kiladze (26-1, 18 KOs) will be fighting for a second straight time at
Barclays Center after the 31-year-old scored a TKO victory over Pedro
Rodriguez in his last fight on Nov. 4 in the non-televised undercard of
Wilder-Stiverne II. The only loss of his career came via knockout to Youri
Kayembre Kalenga in Berlin, Germany in 2013 back when he was fighting at
cruiserweight. Kiladze is unbeaten since campaigning at heavyweight full
time and looks to mark his arrival on the division on January 20th.