Hopkins Going for 20, But Will He Be Slowed By 40?
by
Julius Stecker
2/18 - Undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins has
been defying sports logic the past 5 years. The recently turned 40-year old has
put to rest the notion that with an increase in age,
there is a decrease in skill. You could say the same
things about Barry Bonds, but last I checked Hopkins
hasn’t been taking 'The Clear' to get pumped up for
his past 5 fights.
Let’s look at some other
comparisons here, the St. Louis Rams are pulling the
plug on Marshall Faulk and he is 31. Dallas Cowboy
Eddie George is done at 31 as well, but forget
football, look at boxing, Sugar Ray Leonard was done
in his early 30’s, and look at Roy Jones Jr. once he
turned 35. So my question is, what makes Bernard
Hopkins so different? I will tell you what it is.
Eight weeks before fight night, Bernard goes into monk
like status. The champion who hasn't lost since 1993, wakes up before the crack of dawn,
and he starts his day before some fighters get in from
a night on the town. Bernard never lets his weight
hover above 170 pounds, and always remains in
tip-top shape.
Hopkins, 45-2-1, also has an impeccable diet, one
that he should write a book about when he retires,
because it would put the Atkins and South Beach diets
to shame. At the tender age of 40, Bernard has the body of a 20
year-old college sprinter.
Despite all of these
attributes and disciplines, will Hopkins make it to 20
defenses and beyond? Enter Howard Eastman.
Howard Eastman, 40-1, is a man who came from humble
beginnings and a homeless background. For the past 10
years he has fought in obscurity in Europe; knocking
out 34 of his opponents with big right hands, and
lethal left hooks.
Fight fans will remember Eastman from a 2001 bout, in which he took on the former
world champion, William Joppy, but he was not given a
decision in fight many felt he won.
Eastman has been
hearing negativity ever since the fight with Bernard
Hopkins was signed. They say he can’t win; they tell
him that he is just a tune-up to bigger and better
things for 'The Executioner', but Eastman has had a
confidence about him. He has boldly predicted a 5th
round KO victory, and while many think he is
delusional, I am not one of them.
Eastman could pull off an upset, if you don’t believe
me ask Lloyd Honeyghan. Lloyd who? Yeah Lloyd
Honeyghan, the British Welterweight who people said
had “No Chance” in 1986 against a prime and
destructive Donald Curry. All Honeyghan did was knock
out Curry in one of the biggest upsets of the 1980’s.
Now that has been almost 20 years ago, but the
question is, can Eastman pull the “Honeyghan Shocker”?
If you were to ask a Las Vegas fight handicapper,
they would tell you no, but if you were to ask me, I
would tell you yes. Put your money on Eastman, the
odds are there, and the time is right.
The British Middleweight has the mentality, the
make-up, and the size to win this fight. Hopkins has
a chance to make history, but it is history that tells
us he won’t make it. Put it down on your calendars.
Howard Eastman will be Undisputed Middleweight
Champion come Feb 20th.
The Hopkins-Eastman middleweight title fight will be shown tomorrow night, LIVE on HBO at 9:45 PM/EST. It also needs to be noted that this bout was initially for the WBC and "Ring Magazine" titles, but an agreement was reached for the WBA, IBF and WBO to sanction the fight as well. Hopkins did not want to pay the additional fees, but has now changed his mind.
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