Boxing

Howard Eastman stops Hassine Cherifi!

Elliott Worsell @ Ringside

26.07 - ‘Battersea Bomber’ Howard Eastman is a man on a mission. His mission being, attempting to get Undisputed Middleweight king Bernard Hopkins or WBA champion William Joppy into a ring with him to determine who is the number one fighter at 160 lbs.

Last night at the Norwich Sports Village, Eastman now 38-1 (34) systematically broke the heart and will of gutsy and courageous world rated challenger Hassine Cherifi in 8 pulsating rounds of competitive action. The fight represented a stepping-stone for Howard in the long winding, lonely road toward world domination. Eastman could afford no slip ups or lacklustre performances here, it was make or break time if he seriously has aspirations of tackling the two fighters perceived to be above him in the Middleweight rankings.

Cherifi was a worthy and very good opponent for Howard to test his skills on, sharpening his tools and load his weaponry for bigger fights down the line. Bringing a respectable 34-7-1 (20 KO’s) slate to the fight, and having shared the ring with names such as Felix Trinidad, Keith Holmes, Harry Simon, Robin Reid and William Joppy, Cherifi marked a significant step up in competition Eastman has faced post Joppy. Cherifi was a former European champion and a former WBC world Middleweight champion who was intent on bringing his old European belt back to his native France.

The experienced 35-year-old Cherifi entered the ring first, and was rightly applauded on his way to the squared circle by the knowledgeable and respectful Norwich crowd that had turned out for Friday’s blockbuster bill. With his trademark bald scalp and ponytail, a determined and ‘steely’ look was glazed over the eyes of the Frenchman. In excellent physical shape, Cherifi looked like a man who had come to win.

Accompanied by a well-constructed documentary beamed up on the TV screens around the close and intimate Norwich Sports Village, the champion Howard Eastman made his way to the ring. Coated out in a yellow robe with the hood covering the face of the Battersea Bomber, the normally extroverted Eastman seemed to have transcended into the introverted Howard Eastman, make no doubt about it, Eastman knew he was in for a hard nights work.

Eastman had a major point to prove. With a rematch against Joppy a very ‘makeable’ fight and with Hopkins running out of options, Eastman had to use this fight as an opportunity to back either of the two champions into a corner and not let them out of it.

The bell rung to signal the beginning of what on paper looked to be an intriguing fight between two top 10 world ranked contenders vying for the prestigious European crown. Both had the well-documented ‘feeling out’ process to begin with. Eastman firing short, sharp jabs into the face of Cherifi, with Hassine starting somewhat cautious on the back foot wary of the potent firepower the champion possesses. Even at this point Eastman’s accuracy was very impressive, catching the rugged challenger numerous times with his left handed jab, kicking Cherifi’s pony tail up and down like a yo-yo. The jab was seemingly the lone punch Eastman was concentrating on to break the concentration, will and heart of his overseas opponent. The first round ended, and with the exception of a brilliantly picked left hook from Eastman that nearly caught Cherifi flush, there was nothing of real note that occurred, both men seemed cautious and full of trepidation, knowing fully well just what was on the line in this fight.

Cherifi revealed himself more in the second round as he opened up his attacks more on Eastman and began to fire some effective looking jabs to the body and then head, and also began to use a potentially hurtful left hook. Eastman had completed his ‘feeling out’ process and now had to get down to business and set about deterring the wily old Frenchman.

Still concentrating solely on the jab, Eastman revealed to the audience that he is equally adept on the back foot as he is on the front foot, something seldom seen in his last few outings. For periods in round 2 he would let Cherifi attack him wildly, and then pick him off with nice countering jabs or short right hands to the temple that made Cherifi stop in his tacks momentarily.

One pivotal moment in the second round that somewhat epitomises Howard Eastman and his work ethic and natural talent occurred when Cherifi bullied him onto the ropes and began a two fisted assault on the champion. Eastman, with his pride somewhat damaged, instantly sparked into life, came off the ropes and turned the tables on Cherifi and began to fire back. After a somewhat paced and measured start to the fight, we got to see the ‘other side’ of the ‘Battersea Bomber’, the side that British fans always hope Howard will show us whenever he fights. When Eastman fights at a fast tempo and rhythm he looks a very effective and destructive fighter indeed.

The 3rd round starts and after a much need ‘gee up’ from good friend and trainer Rob McCracken, Howard comes out all guns blazing and sets a very fast tempo. Shooting a lot of left hooks off of his usual ramrod jab, Howard is beginning to hurt the durable Frenchman and draw him into a good old dust up, the kind that Eastman relishes and thrives upon. There is a sense that Eastman believes he must ‘jump’ on Cherifi early and gain his respect and to cut out any rhythm Cherifi may have gathered in the opening two rounds.

Cherifi shows his wealth of experience by sucking up the early Eastman foray and coming back strong with his own attack directed by the commanding and spiteful left hook he throws. Cherifi again backs Eastman up into the ropes and tests the big blonde bearded champions defensive skills. Throwing all but the proverbial kitchen sink at Eastman and landing with a lot, Howard still seems not in the least bit affected by it. Fighting a guy with the inner strength and self-belief of Howard Eastman can be very damaging on a fighter mentally and the term ‘breaking their heart’ is aptly used when describing how Eastman can masterfully soak up pressure.

After the sustained Cherifi volley, we get our first sign of the much vaunted trademark right uppercut from Eastman, which catches Cherifi directly on the point of the chin and makes him give ground. A breakthrough shot following a round of momentum building for Hassine, the kind of shot that drains a lot out of a fighter mentally.

Round 4 was similar to the previous round in that there was a lot of sustained two way action from the two well respected operators with neither fighter wanting to give a centremetre let alone an inch. After the success of the uppercut in the previous round, Eastman again used it to perfection in the 4th, catching Cherifi solidly with it whilst the Frenchman retreated to the ropes. Amazingly though, for all the shots Cherifi took in the opening four rounds he was yet to really be hurt or shaken by an Eastman shot, and eagerly attacked Eastman whenever put under pressure from the Battersea Bomber. Cherifi carried a lot of pride into this fight and was fully prepared to go out on his shield it seemed in the opening rounds. Eastman hadn’t come across an opponent quite so intent on forcing the issue and competing with him every step of the way since his disputed decision loss to William Joppy nearly two years ago in Vegas.

Throughout the opening four rounds it was plain to see however that for all Cherifi’s ruggedness and come forward enthusiasm it was Eastman who picked his shots better and most tellingly had more power. This was signified by a beast of a left hook he landed on the bald Frenchman’s chin in the latter part of the 4th. This brought about the first real reaction from the Frenchman, he didn’t like it, he didn’t like Eastman’s power and he made it plain for all to see.

Round 5 marked a turning point in the attacks of Howard Eastman. Like a master technician or surgeon bringing aspects of his repertoire in bit-by-bit and introducing them to all his peers, it seemed Eastman was now introducing to us all his body attack.

It seemed only natural that Eastman would start going to the body, as firing at Cherifi’s head all day was seemingly like punching a block of concrete. The body attack was very effective for Howard, as Cherifi was notably feeling the pace of the fight, and the body shots were not doing much to help his cause. Notably Cherifi gulped in a huge breath of air after being tagged around the ribs from a corking left hook body shot from Eastman. This was the ideal kind of attack Eastman should have been using to slow and wear down the gallant Frenchman.

The body shots seemed to take something away from Cherifi in the 5th, and Eastman began to box extremely fluently on the back foot. Left jab in the face of Cherifi, busting him up, piecing together Hassine’s already slightly disfigured face. The uppercut, booming through the middle with all the ferocity of a freight train, and the lead right hand picking and probing away at Cherifi as a sign of Howard’s immense hand speed and shot selection.

Eastman continued his impressive portfolio of work and technical skills in the 6th stanza. Upping his work rate again slightly, turning the screw on Cherifi he landed a peach of a left hooks that stuns Cherifi and makes him back off to the ropes with a displeasured grimace on his face. Eastman followed up the success of the left hook with another one of his pet punches, the short sharp uppercut to the temple. Cherifi was in a state of distress on the ropes, but despite this, seemed to be no closer to hitting the deck or getting stopped. I’m not quite sure what Cherifi has in his chin, but I’m sure he has a hard time getting through airports with it, because time after time Eastman would catch him in between wild exchanges and there would not be even a wince from the ex WBC kingpin.

It was a courageous effort from Hassine, but for my liking he was taking too many heavy accumulative shots from the heavy-handed Eastman. A mammoth right hand in the closing moments of the 6th that even the great Tommy Hearns would have nodded at in approval shook Cherifi to his boots and made him do a little dance for the Norwich crowd. He was badly hurt, and Eastman instinctively ‘jumped’ on him, like a beast in the jungle leaping on their wounded prey, he wielded heavy, hurtful shots on Cherifi left, right and centre trying to force the stoppage. It never came, and Cherifi lived to fight on to the next round, for better or worse.

The 7th round for me epitomised Howard Eastman at his best. Critics have labelled him a ‘one paced, come forward fighter’ but in the 7th against Cherifi he just oozed class and sophistication. Boxing on the back foot, he just kept backpedalling, popping out single jabs and lead rights with the accuracy and eye of a world-class darts player. Cherifi would hopelessly come forward and try and exert his physical strength on Howard but Eastman used brain over brawn and put on what can only be described as a boxing clinic in the 7th. The early attacks and enthusiasm of Cherifi had well and truly been shattered in two, and the physically intimidating Eastman had turned stylist to keep chipping away the mettle of the French challenger.

The final hurrah seemed to come for Cherifi in the 8th round, nose bloodied, spirit broken, he gave it one last ‘go’ against the excellent Eastman and came out swinging. Cherifi had shown immense courage and bravery throughout the contest, but Eastman’s superior talent and know-how was getting the better of him. In the 8th, whenever Cherifi tried to get Eastman in close and draw him into a brawl, Eastman would duly oblige and simply ‘clear up’ inside and get the better of the exchanges. Everything Cherifi tried was being matched and bettered by the pumped up and hungry Eastman. I wrote whilst watching the fight, ‘Cherifi’s heart has been broken and he’s unravelling’ and it was so true, Cherifi didn’t have any new ideas to bring to the fight, he was way behind on the scorecards and in need of some inspiration.

Like toilet roll, he had been full at the beginning and ready for action, but had been unravelled to his bare bones by the 8th. There was seemingly nothing left in the tank, and although always dangerous with his big punches and aggression there was a sense of inevitability that Eastman was going to be victorious in this fight.

The victory arrived sooner than expected however, when Cherifi failed to rise from his stool for the 9th round, citing a cut nose as his reason for pulling out. It was a disappointing anti climax for the Norwich fans who had hoped to see a more conclusive ending to events, but no one could have failed to be impressed by the systematic beating Eastman dished out on a plate tonight for French challenger Hassine Cherifi. Although not vintage Eastman, he did enough to rough up, break down, and eventually chew up and spit out a well respected former world champion who had come to win and had been prepared to take his old European crown back to France with him.

British Eastside reporter Elliot Worsell caught up with Howard after the fight and the European Middleweight champion gave a revealing insight into how he saw the fight with Cherifi and what he would like to do next in his career.

Eastman stated ‘I’ve proven in Europe that I’m the best and I believe that I’m the best in the world too at Middleweight. I gave Hopkins and Joppy a performance tonight that will have them thinking they can beat me, but they won’t. I did what I had to do and fought well below my powers, but a victory is a victory. Tonight you only saw 50% of the real Howard Eastman, against Hopkins or Joppy you will see the other 50. Tonight you have seen me try things out, try things that I didn’t try out in fights before. I was practicing moves in there, fighting at Cherifi’s level and practicing moves’.

Eastman was quick to praise Cherifi for his efforts in the gruelling contest. ‘Cherifi was a very credible world ranked opponent and he hits a lot harder than Joppy. Only God could sum up my performance tonight. Put in front of me was a well rated opponent and I overcame him.’

When asked about whether he truly believed a fight would be able to be made with infamous ‘tough negotiator’ Bernard Hopkins, Eastman answered ‘The door has been opened, it has been knocked down. I no longer have to keep banging on doors. Joppy and Hopkins have to fight me, I demand that those fights take place. I fought the wrong fight against Joppy first time, but still won, I’ll fight differently next time and win by an even bigger margin. As for Hopkins, Hopkins is a coward, let him fight me. They say British fighters are bums, they say they can’t fight, well let them come and fight me – I’ll show em’

‘From 6 years old I knew I would be world champion. I’ve done more for British boxing than the great Henry Cooper. It’s time for the BBC to put money into this game and give fans the chance to witness the accomplishments of a great British champion. I’d love the Joppy fight in Britain – but I just want it in a ring’

Finally, the extroverted Eastman praised promoter Mick Hennessy for helping him get his career back on track. ‘Mick Hennessy is a man on a mission. He has a vision and has given me a platform to show my skills on. Mick is playing the right cards at this late stage in my career, he’s a great guy.’

Howard Eastman will now sit tight and hope and prey that the God he loves so much can help deliver the big fights he relishes. Tonight Eastman defeated a tough, well respected, world rated challenger in 8 pulsating rounds of action in Norwich, and now he can move on to bigger and better things. Hopkins and Joppy take note; Howard Eastman is coming for you…

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