Posted: 12 Jan 2005, 13:25
MightyWarrior wrote:They need to get someone in Howard's corner who can light a rocket under his arse.
He needs some of that Nigel Benn 'fire & desire'.
He needs some of that Nigel Benn 'fire & desire'.
BoxRec
Has Eastman any chance against Hopkins
Page 2 of 2
He needs some of that Nigel Benn 'fire & desire'.
Posted: 12 Jan 2005, 17:09
Howard Eastman isn't the greatest boxer on earth, but he is a strange and tough character, and he will force Hopkins to use all of his talent, experience and dirty tricks to win this fight. Mostly because Bernard has grown old and hasn't looked good in his last fights, not good at all. After February 19, Hopkins will no longer be P4P number one and Taylor will suddenly beg for an opportunity. All praise to Howard Eastman, the Battersea Bomber. He won't win the fight, but he will disclose Hopkins true age.
Posted: 12 Jan 2005, 17:51
I think in boxing, everyone has a chance. It is a sport when one punch, however lucky, can win a fight. So to say he has zero chance is unrealistic. More positively, I think Eastman is a capable and tough fighter, and will make it hard work for Hopkins.
However, I do think that Hopkins will win this fight, with Eastman putting up a brave points loss.
However, I do think that Hopkins will win this fight, with Eastman putting up a brave points loss.
Posted: 12 Jan 2005, 17:52
I think in boxing, everyone has a chance. It is a sport when one punch, however lucky, can win a fight. So to say he has zero chance is unrealistic. More positively, I think Eastman is a capable and tough fighter, and will make it hard work for Hopkins.
However, I do think that Hopkins will win this fight, with Eastman putting up a brave points loss.
However, I do think that Hopkins will win this fight, with Eastman putting up a brave points loss.
Posted: 12 Jan 2005, 17:57
Good post. i agree, Eastman did look flummoxed by Joppy at times, and there were periods of the fight when Joppy was countering him at will, landing big uppercuts and hooks as well as straight shots while Howard landed one or two shots occasionally.Manos de Oro wrote:My view of the Joppy fight after watching it live was that Eastman had thrown it away by being lazy. The clowning and posturing irritated me also and I remember shouting at the TV for him to buck the fornicate up, as I felt he was letting Joppy nick the rounds.
I watched the fight the other day hoping to see something in Eastman that might be beneficial against Hopkins, but was disappointed to see he was actually worse than I remembered. What I saw as laziness then, I now saw as confusion. Frankly, he looked a bit out of his depth at times: standing back and thinking too much while Joppy scored with shots.
To beat Hopkins he either needs to hope that Hop ages overnight, at which point Howard will be able to catch him cleanly and hopefully KO him; or else do what Roy Jones did - stick and move, in and out with two, three punches at a time. The difference between Jones and Eastman, though, is that Jones' sheer 'un-orthidoxness' helped him keep Hopkins off as much as his boxing. Eastman is more conventional and will present Hopkins nothing he hasn't seen before.
His saving grace could be how slippery he can be. But I think that only has the potential to win him two or three rounds. And, thinking back, that was also said to be Glengoffe Johnson's saving grace against Hopkins, but Hopkins got him in range in the first minute of the fight before administering one of the most sickening slayings I've ever seen. Hopefully Eastman - if he does lose - will not be punished to that extent.
Hopkins TKO 10 (could very well be standing stoppage or corner retirement). If not then points: 117-112
The showboating was I think an attempt to disguise the fact he couldn't keep Joppy under pressure, and it wasn't until Joppy seemed to slow down towards the end that Howard was able to assert himself.
I think Howard has a very very tough assignment ahead of him. I don't think Hopkins has as much on his shots as he did when he fought Johnson, and Joppy said that Bernard's shots didn't have that much on them, but look at the state of his face after the fight.
I don't think Hopkins will stop Eastman, and i think Eastman can give Hopkins a run for his money if he fights a well thought out strategy, he has to make Hopkins respect his power early on, and try and get him under some kind of pressure in the first four rounds. Eastman is the bigger puncher, and has a very good chin, but it's hard to see him outfoxing the old man.