John Duddy Edges Eastman To Win Decision

By Mark Vester

Unbeaten middleweight contender John Duddy (23-0, 17KOs) passed his toughest test to date, winning a close ten-round decision over veteran Howard Eastman (42-6, 35KOs) in a very exciting bout from King's Hall in Belfast. When the score of 96-94 was read, the pro-Duddy crowd went into a frenzy.

In the first five-rounds, Eastman exposed Duddy's defensive flaws with right uppercuts and lefts that got Duddy's attention, and stole a few of the close rounds. Duddy made adjustments in the second half, timing Eastman's shots and using his jab to bank enough rounds to secure the decision.

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Saturday | Jan 31, 2026

Duddy was the initial choice to face WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in 2008. The proposed fight was scrapped after Jermain Taylor exercised his option for an immediate rematch with Pavlik. Duddy would like to fight the winner in the near future.

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com

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