By Keith Idec

Friday night will be a momentous occasion for Robert Easter Jr.

The unbeaten IBF lightweight champion has long dreamed of defending a world title in his hometown. That’s exactly what the 26-year-old Easter (18-0, 14 KOs) will do against Puerto Rico’s Luis Cruz (22-4-1, 16 KOs) in the main event of a Bounce TV telecast from Huntington Center in Easter’s native Toledo, Ohio.

But beyond Friday’s fight, in which Easter is listed as a 35-1 favorite by several Internet sports books, Easter wants to pursue lightweight championship unification fights.

Newly crowned WBC 135-pound champion Mikey Garcia (36-0, 33 KOs) and Easter both work with Al Haymon, thus that fight could be made relatively easily.

Boxing’s other two recognized lightweight champions – WBA title-holder Jorge Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) and WBO title-holder Terry Flanagan (32-0, 13 KOs) – both have fights scheduled – against Anthony Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) and Petr Petrov (38-4-2, 19 KOs), respectively. Easter is open to fighting the winners of those bouts next as well.

“I don’t want one in particular, but the guys with the titles know who they are,” Easter said. “Mikey Garcia has a title. Linares has a title. And Flanagan has a title. Those are the only guys on my hit list. I believe in myself. I believe nobody in this weight class can beat me.”

Easter displayed power, skills and toughness in his last fight, a split-decision defeat of then-unbeaten Richard Commey in a 12-round fight for the vacant IBF lightweight championship. A determined Easter overcame a flash knockdown during the eighth round to defeat Commey (24-2, 22 KOs) on two of the three scorecards September 9 at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania.

The 31-year-old Cruz, an optional opponent, isn’t expected to present nearly as difficult a challenge as Commey.

Cruz is 1-2-1 in his last four fights. In his last fight, he boxed to a 10-round draw with Ukraine’s Ivan Redkach (20-2-1, 16 KOs) on April 19 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

“It’s nothing I haven’t faced before,” Easter said of Cruz. “They’ve put a bunch of veteran guys in front of me before in my career. I aced all those tests, but Luis Cruz is a good fighter. I know he’s coming to fight and I’m real prepared for everything. Pretty much, there’s nothing I haven’t seen already since the amateurs or in my professional career.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.