Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 11, 2013 Sports
By Michael Benjamin
In boxing parlance, when a boxer seeks redemption he is usually attempting to reassert himself on the fistic scene, or in other words, reclaim respect.
Many regard boxing as a sport for youngsters and heckle those that attempt to ‘live’ past a certain age. ‘Big’ George Foreman defied his critics and in 1994, at a solid 45 years of age, defied conventional wisdom and knocked out a far younger Michael Moorer (who was 27 years old then) to claim the World Boxing Association (WBA) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight crown.
Pundits view Foreman’s feat as phenomenal but many other pugilists (though not as high profiled) would have defied age and continued trading punches way beyond the expected age and benefitted from their efforts.
Howard ‘Batersea Bomber’ Eastman is one of the fighters that no one has been able to definitively analyze. Considered an eccentric individual, Eastman’s professional career commenced in March 2004 in the United Kingdom when he scored a first round TKO over John Rice.
The ‘Battersea Bomber’ as he was dubbed, had a phenomenal start to his professional career, chalking up 32 wins before experiencing a controversial loss to William Joppy in November for the World Boxing Association middleweight title.
By then Eastman had become a household name in Guyana and around the world and many will remember his trademark stock of hair and beard, dyed white that portrayed him as an aged man; his dexterity in the square jungle defied the notion.
Eastman’s sojourn in the United Kingdom netted him a plethora of prestigious European belts including the European Boxing Union middleweight title, the British Boxing Board middleweight title and the WBA Inter-continental middleweight title among other prestigious accolades. The Joppy loss was his first outing in North America and signaled a turning point in his career. He returned to the United Kingdom and reeled off nine consecutive victories inclusive of six abbreviated bouts.
On January 19, 2005 Eastman returned to the USA and suffered his second loss, this time to Bernard ‘Executioner’ Hopkins for the World Boxing Council middleweight belt. He fought seven bouts in quick order but lost 5 of them and then decided to return to Guyana to continue plying his trade.
Denny Dalton was his first local opponent and Eastman scored a lopsided unanimous verdict before defeating Andrew Lewis, Leon Gilkes and Trinidadian Kevin Placide.
Kwesi Jones presented some problems for Eastman and won their 4 rounds encounter. Eastman then experienced fluctuating fortunes both locally and internationally, winning a few and losing some.
If there is one thing that can be said about Eastman, it is that he’s no quitter. He has blazed the trail and just when the naysayer had written him off, he rebounded with sterling performances that defied his critics.
He fought Simeon Hardy in June and October last year and though he lost the first fight he rebounded with a classical display in the second and many were aghast when the decision went against him.
It was the last time that Eastman had entered the ring and the memories were truly inspiring.
Now, the ‘Battersea Bomber’ returns to the ring with renewed resolve to take on Jamaican, Sakima Mullings in a 12 rounds welterweight bout on a card dubbed ‘Firestorm,’ that nets the winner the World Boxing Council Caribbean Boxing Federation (WBACABOFE) and the World Boxing Association Fede Caribe (WBAFEDCAR) welterweight belts.
Eastman has spouted confidence but he will do good to remember that Mullings had registered a crushing knockout victory over local pugilist, Winston Pompey when they fought in Jamaica in ‘The Contender’ series, the Jamaican version of the Guyana Fight night card, last year.
The Jamaican will be bristling with confidence and provided he comes to the fight with the tools of the Pompey bout one could just envisage the ensuing hectic battle. In a subsequent article we will have a deeper analysis of Mullings who seems to be an idol in his hometown.
In the meantime, fans could gear up for an action packed card that also features triple champion, Clive Atwell, up against Venezuelan, Raphael Hernandez for the vacant WBCCABOFE featherweight title, while Mark Austin matches gloves with Gladwin Dorway in a highly anticipated clash for the local welterweight belt.
These two were scheduled to face off late last year but Dorway had failed the medical examination and was ordered to undergo stringent tests as a precaution. He has since received the green light and is set to preserve his unbeaten record. Austin is no slouch and Dorway will find that despite losing several bouts, to seasoned opponents, Austin still has the sting to serve up his first loss. The prize is the local welterweight belt and as they say in boxing, Dorway’s ‘O’ might go.
Otherwise, Elton ‘The Bully’ Dharry will also be in action and puts his local bantamweight title on the line against Hewley Robinson in a 12 rounds scrap, while Syrian boxer, Mahmood ‘The Extractor’ Loul starts the night’s proceedings in a 4 rounder against Berbician, Derick Richmond in a super/middleweight bout.
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