Destiny vs. Legacy | Eastman Will Win In The 5th
by
Buster Paris
2/16 - There is something you should know going into this column, I want Howard Eastman to win this Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles when he takes on undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. I know it goes against the grain and against popular opinion as well as general wisdom, but it’s how I feel today. Yup, I’m all about the underdog.
Having tossed and turned this inside my head since this fight was announced and going back and forth between wanting Hopkins to win and solidifying his legacy and wanting Eastman to win and shocking the world. I’m sure I’ll go back and forth 100 more times before February 19th.
Let’s look at the first side of the coin, my reasons for wanting Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins to win:
First of all Bernard’s the hometown hero, he’s a Philadelphia fighter and it’s fair to say that he’s one of the best to ever come out of Phily. On paper his record is of course very respectable and up there with the greats, but there’s more to it than it actually reads. Bernard has amassed 45 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw/no contest. Actually I will count the no contest as a loss, but a loss to Mills Lane who was refereeing the bout. Lane pushed Hopkins out of the ring trying to break up a clinch and Bernard got injured. Hey - Mills said to protect yourself at all times, it’s in the rules man.
Hopkins’ pair of loses are more than forgivable in that one of them was over a decade ago in 1993 against Roy Jones Jr. and the other was in 1988 which was his first professional fight. It was against Brooklyn’s own Clinton Mitchell, who as an aside is no longer active, hasn’t been since 1998 and oddly had only 5 fights in his career. He won 3, lost 1 and had 1 draw. I wonder what happened to him and what he’s doing now? Has he been following Hopkins’ career maybe even commenting to a coworker or the UPS guy “…ya – he ain’t so bad, I beat him…”.
Anyway, Bernard Hopkins is an unbelievable 40 years old - and has not lost a fight in 12 years. He is defending his title for an amazing and unprecedented 20th time against Howard Eastman.
This is a fight that has the potential to be another jewel in the ever-growing bejeweled crown of Philadelphia’s royal son.
Next, let’s look at the second side of the coin, my reasons for wanting Howard “The Battersea Bomber” Eastman to win:
First, that beard, c’mon you know it’s too cool!
Second reason is that he’s the underdog. The word around the water cooler is that he simply can’t win. There’s just no way. Ask Eastman though and he’ll tell you that round 5 is his round. That God has chosen him to be the one to beat Bernard Hopkins and that he’ll be the one to usher Hopkins out of the boxing world. The boxing world is chuckling to itself and doubts Howard’s claim.
Eastman’s record is an impressive 40 wins with 1 loss. Of the 40 wins 34 are thanks to a knockout. That’s 85% of his wins and that’s nothing to sneeze at.
The one loss is to the well thought-of William Joppy back in 2001.
Here’s a topic that adds to my flipping back and forth. William Joppy is a shared opponent of note between Eastman and Hopkins. As mentioned above William beat Howard in November of 2001 by a close majority decision. He gave Eastman a hard and close fight.
In 2003 Joppy lost big time to Hopkins. Bernard pretty much beat up William for 12 rounds.
So if William Joppy was hard for Eastman, but a cakewalk for Hopkins, then what kind of chance does Eastman have against Hopkins?
Once again we wind up at the question everyone’s asking and regardless of what road of thought brought me to here it’s that question that has me going back and forth. What kind of chance does Eastman have against Hopkins?
Most of you say that Howard has no chance, but I think he stands a very good chance and honestly, I want Hopkins to lose. I don’t know if it’s my mood today, if it’s because I’m cranky or what, but being in the mood for an upset, I’m in the mood to see mouths drop and destiny changed. The mood to see some smug faces turn to looks of bewilderment. I often love when what is supposed to happen doesn’t happen. I think it keeps us all honest and aware.
That being said, lets realize it’s not fair to Bernard to want to deny him his 20th consecutive title defense just because I’m crabby. Hopkins is truly a terrific fighter, he’s powerful, smart and talented and at 40. I don’t see any signs of him slowing down as his last fight, he whooped the “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya, which is not an easy thing to do.
Most fighters in the 40-year range are pretty much done, their careers winding down, but not The Executioner. Whatever happens next is his decision not his body or diminishing skills forcing him out. It’s all up to him, for now.
And while everyone thinks that he’ll have any easy time against Howard Eastman I’m not so sure. Eastman’s tough, very powerful and has been around for a while. At 34 he’s not showing any signs of slowing down either.
Not many are giving this fight a second look; they say Hopkins all the way. I think it’s going to be a great fight – Destiny vs. Legacy. Make sure you pay very close attention to round 5....
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