By Rick Reeno & Dr. Peter Edwards
The following is a new segment on the site where two of BoxingScene's writers with a difference of opinion go head to head on an upcoming fight. The fight in the middle of this article's debate is the upcoming middleweight showdown between unified champion Bernard Hopkins vs. UK challenger Howard Eastman.
Reeno's View
Lately it seems that whenever a fighter with any type of name recognition goes up against one of the top fighters in the game, people starting hyping the challenger into something more then he actually appears to be in reality.. People start overlooking the fighter's poor record, they make excuses for any loss they must have suffered and turn any skill they have into something to be worried about. The upcoming Bernard Hopkins-Howard Eastman battle is no exception. There has been a heavy amount of over-hype towards the challenger Howard Eastman who is being built up like some middleweight dark horse.
The facts are pretty much simple, Eastman has never beaten a name fighter in his career and now faces the man most people regard as the top pound for pound fighter in the world. Eastman’s biggest win was over Hacine Cherrife and now he throws his hat in the ring with a man who has ruled the middleweight division for over ten years. Eastman’s only battle with a fighter of name value was against William Joppy back in 2001 and Eastman lost. Eastman may have come on strong in the second half of the fight but once again the facts are simple as Joppy easily outboxed Eastman for the first half the fight.
Then we get to the “legendary” power of Eastman. If Eastman was such a powerful fighter then he should have knocked out Joppy in their fight. I don’t want to hear about what he almost did or what he planned to do, the guy had twelve rounds in front of him and he couldnt get the job done. Eastman himself has not disputed that he lost the fight so everyone else should stop disputing the decision. Eastman blames problems which occurred outside the ring and execution of the wrong gameplan for the Joppy loss.
The next thing that everyone has to look at is the record of Eastman since the Joppy fight. Eastman has fought a who’s who of unknowns and fighters who had no shot of even putting up a competitive contest. Hopkins on the other hand took on any and all comers in his direction. Bernard recently put away dangerous rival Robert Allen in their third meeting and knocked out Oscar De La Hoya for the first time in Oscar’s career. Those two fights took place less then a year ago and Hopkins showed very little signs of slowing down. Eastman’s prediction of a 5th round knock-out is one of the most laughable statements I have read all year.
I've seen some credible writers penning up that Eastman has guts to take this fight against Bernard. What guts? Hopkins is the undisputed middleweight champion of the world and owns every recognized belt in the division. Either Eastman has to face Hopkins or find a new profession. Eastman has never been in the ring with anyone close to a fighter of Hopkin’s caliber. Hopkins on the other hand has faced many fighters who were either stronger or more talented than Eastman. Eastman is too slow and not a good enough boxer to give Hopkins any real trouble.
There will be no surprise in store on February 19th, look for Bernard to win by way of a dominating unanimous decision.
Edwards' View
If there was ever a time that Hopkins was at his weakest, the time is now. Eastman is a man on a mission and that mission is to get the undisputed middleweight title of the world.
Hopkins has not faced a fighter this strong since the year 2000 at the very least. Hopkins not facing a guy scared to commit to his punches like Allen, he is not facing a guy who is a blown up welterweight like De La Hoya and he is not facing a guy just moving up to the division like Trinidad.
On February 19th, Hopkins is facing his worst nightmare in Howard Eastman. He will face a man who is a legitimate middleweight with middleweight power in both hands. The word hungry challenger is an understatement for Eastman, the man is starving. He waited in the shadows for years while "unworthy" challengers skipped ahead of him for a shot at Bernard's crown.
Bernard is not the same hungry fighter that fought Felix Trinidad. Several years of easy opponents and the natural aging process is about to catch up with the champ. Eastman is coming in with both hand blazing, already telling Bernard that its going to be a dogfight from the first bell.
Bernard prides himself on his Philadelphia chin, that chin will be tested as Eastman has the power to turn off the lights. Eastman himself has a very good chin, probably better then the chin of Hopkins. The fact that Hopkins has never really been a knockout puncher is even better for Eastman. Bernard is a guy who stops his opponents by pouring on an accumulation of punishment. Bernard will have to get close to Eastman in order to get that gameplan going and once he is on the inside, Bernard will fall into the Path of Eastman's power.
Very few fighters have come in this hungry for Hopkins and very few fighters come this determined to knock Bernard out. Eastman is not predicting a decision, he predicts a stoppage within the first six rounds.
February 19th will be the crowning of new middleweight champion and his name is Howard Eastman. Bernard will have his moments, but Eastman will take it by a hard fought unanimous decision.