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In his last bout, Bernard Hopkins won a 12-round unanimous decision over top contender Howard Eastman. Although the fight lacked excitement, Hopkins' decision was decisive, winning by scores of 119-110, 119-111 and 116-112. In methodically breaking Eastman down, Hopkins extended his record in middleweight title bouts to 20-1-1, winning his last 20.
Hopkins was only dominant from a ring generalship vantage point. He didn't devastate Eastman or give him a savage physical beating. What Hopkins did was slowly draw Eastman into fighting his fight and took him to school. It wasn't until the fifth round that Hopkins started dictating the fight, by the seventh round he was in complete control, with Eastman following him around the ring in a trance looking to one big punch. When fighters are reduced to where their only chance to pull the fight out is by landing one big punch, the fight is over. This applies tenfold if the fighter dictating the tempo of the bout is Bernard Hopkins, who never beats himself. [details]
Hopkins was only dominant from a ring generalship vantage point. He didn't devastate Eastman or give him a savage physical beating. What Hopkins did was slowly draw Eastman into fighting his fight and took him to school. It wasn't until the fifth round that Hopkins started dictating the fight, by the seventh round he was in complete control, with Eastman following him around the ring in a trance looking to one big punch. When fighters are reduced to where their only chance to pull the fight out is by landing one big punch, the fight is over. This applies tenfold if the fighter dictating the tempo of the bout is Bernard Hopkins, who never beats himself. [details]