By Dr. Peter Edwards
The countrymen of Howard Eastman are backing their man to dethrone the reigning middleweight king Bernard Hopkins this coming Saturday night. Bernard Hopkins will go head to head with a man that has an entire country on his shoulders. BoxingScene.com touched base on the fight with several key figures from across the ocean to get their thoughts on the upcoming battle between Hopkins and Eastman.
Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan does not think the fight will go the distance. Khan is fully backing Eastman's boast of bringing the middleweight crown back to England.
"Hopkins is a great champion, but Howard Eastman is bringing the belts back to England. This fight will not last the full 12 rounds." said Khan
Super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe think the power of Eastman will be the difference in the fight. Calzaghe has sparred with Eastman and said that Eastman is a very strong fighter.
"Eastman is a strong fighter, I don't think Bernard Hopkins can get around his power" said Calzaghe
Calzaghe is not the only fighter who believes Eastman has the power to win. British middleweight legend Herol Graham thinks the power of Eastman can get him the win. Graham recently told a live BBC audience that Eastman stands a very good chance of winning.
"Hopkins deserves his pound-for-pound tag but Howard has a puncher's chance. And Howard can fight. His boxing ability is proven and he's done the job time and time again." said Graham
Chris Eubank, one of the most popular fighters in British history and an idol to Howard Eastman, feels the challenger is going to pull off the upset.
"He can win this fight. The man has the skills to do it, Eastman is a good fighter." said Eubank
The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis has an upset on his mind. He thinks it will be a tough fight, but Eastman should come out on top if the right game plan is initiated.
"Oh man this is going to be a tough fight. Your putting me on the spot. Eastman can do it if he executes the right plan. If he doesn't allow Hopkins to dictate the fight and set his own pace then he stands a good chance of winning the fight" said Lewis.
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