By Jake Donovan

Being surrounded by more experienced talent can either make or break an athlete. Some will strive to rise to the level of - and surpass - others around them; others will either succumb to the pressure, or trip over their own ego and seek a crowd where they could be the star. 

Robert Easter Jr. is perfectly fine with being the one with the most to learn among a star-studded boxing team. The unbeaten lightweight convinced that the present company by which he's surrounded has him as ready as ever for Saturday's showdown with Juan Solis at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

"It's very blessed to be with Mike Stafford (Easter's trainer along with his father, Robert Easter Sr.), Adrien Broner, (Rau'Shee) Nuke Warren, Jamel Herring," notes Easter Jr. (15-0, 12KOs) of the talent around him. 

Easter Jr's bout comes a couple of hours before Broner seeks to win a title in his fourth weight class versus Khabib Allakherdiev in the Showtime-televised main event. While his more celebrated gym mate looks to inch closer to history, Easter is thrilled to showcase his skills on SHO Extreme, with the fight taking place three hours from his Toledo hometown. 

"I'm very excited, I have a lot of fans and family here to support me," says Easter Jr., who was an alternate on the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team. 

The fight is close enough to his hometown for his family and friends to make the trip, but his game day mindset is strong enough to not feel the need to please everyone - at least not until the bell rings.

"There are no distractions in that regard," Easter Jr. insists. "You always have to remain focused and concentrate on the job you have. They came to support me and to see me win. That's my main responsibility."

Given the all-star camp as part of his daily routine, there stands a great chance he honors such obligations. 

"All the guys with such great skills around me, you can't help but sharpen up your skills and get better," the unbeaten boxer points out. 

Easter Jr.-Solis headlines the SHO Extreme televised coverage (Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET), before the card switches over to Showtime's flagship station (10:00 p.m. ET).

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.

Twitter: @JakeNDaBox

Facebook Page: JakeBScene