Cunningham: Easter is underdog against Garcia, but styles make fights

Trainer Kevin Cunningham knows his guy goes in as the underdog against Mikey Garcia.

The jury is still out on Robert Easter in the minds of some fight fans, and, to be frank, some deliberators have already decided “guilty.”

There is not universal acclaim aimed at the Toledo, Ohio boxer, age 27, who holds a 21-0 (14 KO) record and owns the IBF 135-pound belt currently.

The naysayers are in assumption mode, believing that Mikey Garcia, the ruthlessly efficient Cali-based boxer from the Fighting Garcia Family, will grab that belt off the Ohioan when they face off on July 28, which is the rumored but unconfirmed date for a Showtime main event.

Talk to me, Kevin Cunningham, apparently now lead trainer to Easter, who was last seen getting the split decision win over Javier Fortuna on January 20 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. (Many folks had Fortuna, a lefty who came in over the weight, winning. ESPN’s Dan Rafael called Easter’s showing “shaky.”)

“Easter’s been in camp for a month. I’ll give you a more detailed interview later,” the trainer told me.

OK, gotcha. But real quick, c’mon now, your kid’s the underdog here!

“No shit, we know that,” Cunningham answered.

Noted. What do YOU think of Garcia? Is he in your top five, pound-for-pound?

“Mikey’s a great fighter but style makes fights,” the tutor said.

I pestered, because, hello, that’s what I do, but Cunningham was off to work. (He is also handling Adrien Broner and Gervonta Davis now, meaning he is in the top five or higher among active trainers with quality and depth of client list).

So, let us fill in the blanks. Readers, do you see, have you seen in Easter some style points that will be quite helpful against Garcia, and make Easter a less prohibitive underdog in your eyes?