BoxRec

Eastman: I’m the champion in waiting



Former British, Commonwealth and European Middleweight champion Howard Eastman, who is something of an all-round sportsman, continues the process of rebuilding towards another world title attempt this Friday, (April 20th).

The Hennessy Sports boxer faces Kenyan Ashira Evans for the vacant Commonwealth Middleweight Title at the Dudley Concert Hall live on Sky Sports as he aims to win back the second of his old belts.

The first was recaptured in devastating fashion, when he knocked out old friend and fellow south Londoner Richard Williams in December. Now Eastman, who lost to American Bernard Hopkins for the undisputed world middleweight title in 2005, faces another top class operator.

“I understand Ashira to be a very dangerous opponent,” he said earlier today from the Hennessy Sports training facility in London. “He has fought for two world titles, one at super middleweight.

“I need to be fighting this kind of dangerous opponent. I will be back in with the very best, very soon. I am a world champion in waiting.”

The ‘Battersea Bomber’ clearly feels that the best is yet to come.

“I feel stronger and more dangerous than I have ever been,” he added. “And the motivation is still there. The story is not finished yet.

“As well as my boxing training, I do a lot of other sports like basketball, football and swimming. This helps a lot; it keeps me in great general condition.”

Eastman will be supported on the Hennessy Sports and GoldenPalace.com event by his featherweight team-mate Billy Corcoran. The former English champion and British Title challenger goes over eight against Walsall’s Steve Gethin.

The bill also features an intriguing Midlands Area clash between home fighter Dean Hickman and Gary Reid, two experienced Championship campaigners who always give their all.

“I’m looking forward to winning this belt and moving on upwards,” said Hickman. “My aim is to challenge Jon Thaxton for the British Title at lightweight. I feel that with the right preparation it is a fight I can win.”

Other local favourites appearing include Dean Harrison, Martin Gethin, Sam Horton and Kevin Buckley, who now goes over four against his namesake Pete.

Hennessy Sports and GoldenPalace.com Proudly Present
Howard Eastman vs. Evans Ashira
Vacant Commonwealth Middleweight Championship
@ Dudley Concert Hall – 20th April 2007
Other sponsors: EJKO Promotions and Everlast

Tickets priced £50 and £30 on 0785 226 8333.

12x3 Vacant Commonwealth Middleweight Championship
Howard Eastman vs. Evans Ashira
(Battersea) (Kenya)

10x3 Midlands Area Light Welterweight Title
Dean Hickman vs. Gary Reid
(West Bromwich) (Stoke on Trent)

8x3 Featherweight
Billy Corcoran vs. Steve Gethin
(Wembley) (Walsall)

6x3 Light Welterweight
Dean Harrison vs. Judex Meemea
(Wolverhampton) (London)

6x3 Lightweight
Martin Gethin vs. Carl Allen
(Walsall) (Wolverhampton)

4x3 Middleweight
Sam Horton vs. Tony Stones
(Stourbridge) (Wakefield)

4x3 Featherweight
Paul Truscott vs. Riaz Durgahead
(Middlesbrough) (London)

4x3 Super Featherweight
Kevin Buckley vs. Peter Buckley
(Chester) (Birmingham)

4x3 Light Welterweight
Martin Gordon vs. Christian Laight
(Dudley) (Nuneaton)

Leopards rarely change their spots, if Ashira has anything about him at top world level Eastman will plod his way to another 12 round points defeat without stretching himself too much.

Eastman lost just about every big fight he's been in. He tends t owaste rounds as stated above as well. He can't beat any of the current champs, expecting Sturm getting his belt back.....

Also the blonde beard look scares me.....

He lost the blond beard years ago. Eastman would knock out Jermain Taylor. I would love him to get the opportunity, but Taylor prefers fighting light-middles and prefers to keep quiet regarding the likes of Eastman, Abraham, Miranda.

Jermain Taylor would be a massive favourite over Eastman!

And would probably (and rightly) get criticised for fighting him. Eastman is barely top 10 now.

In fact he's 16 on Boxrec which is probably about right.

Eastman would probably need an armchair In the ring to beat Taylor.

Eastman in his world title tilts, has always done just enough to lose respectably. Unless something dramatic has changed in his make-up, I don't see him having any chance of winning a world title. He had great chances against Abraham and Miranda.

Against Miranda, we perhaps saw why it is that Eastman isn't more aggressive, after having Miranda in trouble and putting his foot on the gas a bit, he got stunned by a massive uppercut and trapped on the ropes.

Eastman seems to be vulnerable whenever he lets his hands go, I think it's his lack of speed which let's him down. His laconic punching style leaves huge gaps in his defence.

Yeah I think workrate troubles Taylor and that's hardly Eastman's strong point is it. If Taylor can beat (or come close to beating, depending on your take) a Hopkins that schooled Howard I don't see how Eastman has much of a shot.

Ok styles make fights but Howard does nothing better than an old Hopkins (slower, slightly less power, less skills, slightly less chin, equal workrate etc)

Eastman LESS POWER than Hopkins??!?!

Eastman can HIT!!

JT is made for Eastman. He'll be in his face going all out and play into The Battersea Bombers heavy hands.

Overhands tip

Eastman hits hard but it's almost always single shots, he very rarely follows it up. Miranda and Abraham are far bigger threats to Taylor.

Howard is still looking for his first win in world class and I can't see him having anything to trouble Taylor, he is certainly not a one punch knockout artist so imo, there goes his only chance

In fact, Howard has NEVER scored a proper knockout, look at his ring record. Every one of his stoppages is a TKO. He tends to bust people up until they either quit, or the referee intervenes, he is far from a devastating puncher, bit is rather a solid hitter.

Howard simply does not throw enough punches to win at world level, and he doesn't have the skills to win fights going away against top level operators, unlike Hopkins who was a sneak theif through his late 30's, nicking fights with his slipperty defence, and sneaky counter punching.

Howard is a very good operator, but is unfortunately short of world class.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:In fact, Howard has NEVER scored a proper knockout, look at his ring record.

Thats hilarious! Go find Richard Williams and tell him Eastman has never scored a proper knockout.

That was his first proper KO, and that was as much exhaustion as it was the punch.

Richard Williams is hardly a world class fighter either.

Sorry, one other KO, agains the mighty John Duckworth, presumably brother of Jack...

If you want to believe that Howard is a devastating knockout puncher fair enough, but let's get it into perspective. Trinidad, a true knockout artist, and a natural welter absolutely annihilated Joppy, Hopkins brutalised him for the entire fight, Eastman scored a knockdown right at the end of the fight, but most of the time couldn't budge Joppy at all.

Howard is a solid hurtful hitter, but he is not a knockout artist.

overhand_right wrote:He lost the blond beard years ago. Eastman would knock out Jermain Taylor. I would love him to get the opportunity, but Taylor prefers fighting light-middles and prefers to keep quiet regarding the likes of Eastman, Abraham, Miranda.

Yeah of course Eastman would knock out Taylor.

He couldn't even beat a faded Joppy when he was in his prime.

Who called him devastating? Now you're making stuff up. I think he's a very heavy handed guy, and 35 KOs in 41 wins doesn't disprove that notion . And a guy who comes forward throwing wildly like Taylor plays more into his style than Joppy or Hopkins who didnt dare mix it up.

He seemed to freeze Joppy several times, particularly when he had him hurt and down in the 12th rd.

As for Hopkins "brutalising" Joppy, well yeah, getting repeatedly headbutted all night is pretty frickin brutal.

Taylor would easily outpoint the one paced plodding Eastman.

Eastman is so overrated its untrue, a good domestic and European level operator but every time he steps up to world class he loses. I've never seen what all the fuss is about myself he has one gear - slow. Good enough at the lower level but found wanting at the highest level.

This old chestnut. IMO Eastman is definitely a world class contender, but he's not good enough to win a (real) world title.

This should be a tough nights work for Howard. Fingers crossed he comes through.


Excellent supporting contest on the bill....Reid v Hickman. Gary Reid can turn the tables on Hickman this time i feel. He's a different boxer to the one Dean beat last time. Could be a cracker this one.

nickd wrote: He couldn't even beat a faded Joppy when he was in his prime.

Christ Joppy automatically became 'faded' off ONE bad loss?!!

THEBUTCH wrote:This old chestnut. IMO Eastman is definitely a world class contender, but he's not good enough to win a (real) world title.

This should be a tough nights work for Howard. Fingers crossed he comes through.


Excellent supporting contest on the bill....Reid v Hickman. Gary Reid can turn the tables on Hickman this time i feel. He's a different boxer to the one Dean beat last time. Could be a cracker this one.

Ok perhaps you're right, he's definetly a contender level fighter, but just that notch short of being good enough to be world champion.

Let's face it William Joppy is not exactly a great fighter, but against Eastman he looked like dynamite. Faded or not, Joppy was never that good in the first place.

DYNAMITE??!

Its gets worse!! Rewatch the fight James. Joppy had to work his arse off for 12 rds to keep Eastman under control. He had to cling on for an MD and even got decked, this against Eastman who clearly was not pushing himself much.

Dynamite? F#ckin diffused dynamite.

Eastman made Joppy look like Ray Leonard, yes Joppy worked hard, but he constantly beat Howard to the punch, and for me was a clear winner.

THEBUTCH wrote:This old chestnut. IMO Eastman is definitely a world class contender, but he's not good enough to win a (real) world title.

This should be a tough nights work for Howard. Fingers crossed he comes through.


Excellent supporting contest on the bill....Reid v Hickman. Gary Reid can turn the tables on Hickman this time i feel. He's a different boxer to the one Dean beat last time. Could be a cracker this one.

I feel that 'Deano' will win again. No doubt it will be a cracking bout, i was in the crowd for the first one and it was a classic, but i feel that Hickman's better long-range skills will see him through.

Hickman said to me that he was going to keep it at range.

Reid has improved and will push Hickman all the way.

Tom Podmore.

overhand_right wrote:He lost the blond beard years ago. Eastman would knock out Jermain Taylor. I would love him to get the opportunity, but Taylor prefers fighting light-middles and prefers to keep quiet regarding the likes of Eastman, Abraham, Miranda.

I really don't see Eastman beating Taylor, A.A., Pavlik, Miranda, etc.....

Podmore_Birmingham, They will be good tactics by Dean. Reid is so strong and punching with much more confidence these days.

Sky must show this fight tonight