After 12 rounds, the assembly at the Huntington Center only knew that it was close.

For six tense minutes, the crowd waited for the judges to decide if Robert Easter, Jr., had retained his International Boxing Federation lightweight championship, or if Russian challenger Denis Shafikov had taken it.

Then the crowd heard the magic words: And still.

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Easter, the 26-year-old Toledoan, kept the title belt with a unanimous decision against Shafikov, his second successful defense of the title.

Two judges scored the fight 120-108, and the third scored the fight 116-112 in favor of Easter.

The defending champion stayed undefeated, improving to 20-0 as a professional. Shafikov fell short of the IBF title for the third time and fell to 38-3-1.

For Easter, it was far from a perfect fight, though he ultimately did enough in the late rounds to woo the judges.

“I rate myself a B-minus because I wanted to get him out of there, but we came out healthy and we came out with a victory” Easter said after the fight. “... It always feels great to come out with a 'W' and come out unharmed.”

Easter — who had sizable advantages in both height and reach — primarily used his left jab against Shafikov to win the first round.

In the second, Easter controlled the round with a series of combinations, though Shafikov was able to get inside Easter's reach in the round. Easter landed a heavy uppercut and a pair of notable right jabs — one right before the bell — to take control of the third round.

Shafikov landed a left-right-left combination just before the bell in the fourth round, during which he was able to land a number of punches against Easter. He controlled the fight, keeping Easter from making significant ground, in rounds five and six.

In the seventh, Easter threw one of his best punches of the night, snapping Shafikov's head backward with a right jab that caught Shafikov with his hands down, then caught Shafikov twice in the eighth, once with an uppercut and once with a right jab.

“I knew Shafikov was going to be tough,” Easter said. “I'm always trying to up the bar and outdo myself. I tried to go for the stoppage, but as you see, Shafikov was tough.”

Shafikov, however, rebounded to control the ninth, using his quickness to keep Easter on the defensive.

In the late rounds, Easter appeared to cut Shafikov along his hairline and both fighters appeared exhausted, leaving the final decision up to the judges.

In the late rounds, Easter appeared to cut Shafikov along his hairline, while Easter had sustained a noticeable shot underneath his right eye. After a flurry of punches to start the 12th round, Easter and Shafikov finished in a mutual grasp, leaving the final decision up to the judges.

Though the final margin was not as close as many observers believed it would be, Easter kept the title unanimously.

Easter did not knockout Shafikov as he had predicted, but he ultimately passed another test in the lightweight division.

"I thought that'd I'd be the first guy to be able to break Shafikov down," Easter said. "I was able to get the win, and I'm going to be ready for everybody out there."

FIRST LOSS: Toledoan Wesley Tucker suffered his first loss as a professional in an eight-round welterweight fight against undefeated opponent Enver Halili.

Tucker, who came into the fight at 14-0, lost by unanimous decision against Halili (10-0).

In the seventh round, Tucker dislodged Halili's mouthpiece with a shot to the head, but all three judges believed Halili dictated the larger portion of a fight that went the distance.

Two judges scored the fight 79-73, while the third scored the bout at 78-74 in favor of Halili.

FAST FIGHT: The first fight of the evening proved to be every bit the mismatch that the weigh-in suggested it would be. In a women's super featherweight bout, Fremont native Alycia Baumgardner overwhelmed Lashonda Tabron almost immediately.

Baumgardner scored a technical knockout in just 57 seconds by catching Tabron with a heavy punch that knocked her to the canvas. 

Tabron stood up but wobbled backward, at which point the match referee called off the fight and declared Baumgardner the winner.

Baumgardner is now 3-0 with three knockouts as a professional.

DANGEROUS DAMAR: In his first fight in more than five years, Toledoan Damar Singleton also made short work of his opponent, Corey Dulaney. In a four-round super middleweight fight, Singleton knocked Dulaney down in the first round, though Dulaney was able to stand up and continue.

Singleton officially ended the fight in round two, once again connecting on a punch that sent Dulaney back to the mat. Dulaney tried to stand up and fell face-first into the canvas, and the referee ended the fight by technical knockout.

Singleton — whose last fight before Friday was Jan. 21, 2012 — improved to 9-1 with five knockouts.

A NEW MARKET?: Jon Stainbrook, the Lucas County Republican Party chairman who serves on the Ohio Athletic Commission, said he thinks the two fight nights at the Huntington Center this year have helped reinvigorate Toledo as a boxing destination.

The city previously played host to one of the biggest heavyweight fights in boxing history, a 1919 world title fight between Jack Dempsey and Jess Willard, and has held many Golden Gloves tournaments throughout the years.

Friday was the second time this year that Easter fought to keep the IBF lightweight title at the Huntington Center.

“Toledo has this rich history, but there are peaks and valleys in interest. It dissipates and then it comes back,” Stainbrook said.

Because of Easter, Stainbrook said there has been renewed interest as well as a crop of new boxing fans.

Asked if there can be a boxing market in the city for fighters who are not from the area, Stainbrook said there already has been some interest from the outside.

“There already is a new market through Robert Easter, Jr., for boxing in Toledo, and even MMA,” Stainbrook said. “It's brought national and even international attention from boxers who have already called up [and] said, ‘Can I book the Huntington Center? Can we come before the commission and get a license?’”

OTHER FIGHTS: In a matchup of undefeated welterweights, Jamontay Clark (12-0) beat Ivan Golub (13-1) in a unanimous decision. Golub and Clark went the duration in an eight-round preliminary bout that was close throughout.

The announcement of the final scorecards drew boos from many fans at the Huntington Center who believed Golub had won the fight.

Julian Williams (23-1-1) beat Joshua Conley (14-2-1) by technical knockout in the seventh round after Conley’s corner threw in the towel.

IN ATTENDANCE: Two former champions were in the crowd Friday. Adrien Broner and Tommy “Hitman” Hearns — both of whom won titles in four different weight classes — visited Toledo for the Easter fight against Shafikov.

Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at: npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 724-6110, or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz

Robert Easter, Jr., fights

Record: 20-0, 14 KOs

■ Friday: beat Denis Shafikov by unanimous decision+ 

■ Feb. 10, 2017: beat Luis Cruz by unanimous decision+

■ Sept. 9, 2016: beat Richard Commey by split decision*

■ April 1, 2016: beat Argenis Mendez by TKO (5th round)

■ Oct. 3, 2015: beat Juan Ramon Solis by TKO (3rd round)

■ Aug. 28, 2015: beat Osumanu Akaba by TKO (6th round)

■ June 20, 2015: beat Miguel Angel Mendoza by KO (2nd round)

■ March 7, 2015: beat Jose Alejandro Rodriguez by TKO (2nd round)

■ Dec. 12, 2014: beat Angel Hernandez by unanimous decision

■ Sept. 6, 2014: beat Roberto Acevedo by KO (1st round)

■ May 2, 2014: beat Carlos Cardenas by unanimous decision

■ Jan. 25, 2014: beat Daniel Attah by unanimous decision

■ Dec. 14, 2013: beat Hardy Paredes by KO (1st round)

■ Sept. 12, 2013: beat Lance Williams by TKO (1st round)

■ Aug. 9, 2013: beat Lowell Brownfield by KO (2nd round)

■ June 22, 2013: beat Antoine Knight by TKO (3rd round)

■ May 18, 2013: beat Eduardo Guillen by TKO (2nd round)

■ Feb. 16, 2013: beat Jose Valderrama by referee’s technical decision (1st round)

■ Dec. 8, 2012: beat David Castillo by KO (1st round)

■ Nov. 10, 2012: beat Eddie Corona by TKO (2nd round)

* won vacant IBF lightweight title

+ retained IBF lightweight title

First Published July 1, 2017, 6:00 a.m.