Eastman proves too much for Hassine Cherifi, but questions remain.

by James McDonnell

29.07 - In an exciting fight, with a slightly unsatisfactory ending, Howard Eastman proved once again that he is the best fighter in Europe, and that he is a genuine world class fighter, when his opponent Hassine Cherifi retired in his corner, between the 8th and 9th rounds, after taking a sustained and painful beating for the previous 8 rounds.

Although he had his moments of success in the fight, pushing Eastman on to the back foot on several occasions, it was the relentless accumulation of shots which stopped Cherifi coming out for the 9th, and not the cut nose which was cited.

Cherifi was a man who had come to fight and win, not just another name opponent looking for a payday. As I always expected from a former world middleweight (WBC) title holder, and a top flight contender for the best part of a decade, the prouod Cherifi came to press the fight, and try to take the belt.

Both men started cautiously, Cherifi tentatively surging forward occasionally whilst Eastman snapped out a picture perfect jab or two, keeping the Frenchman very much at arms length, as the ramrod straight shots planted firmly in the face of Cherifi.

It was Eastman's round without a doubt, and a measured and calm openeing, to a fight which would not take long to come to life.

After the feeling out process of the first round, Cherifi came out with more intent for the second, trying to rush around the jab of Eastman to land his own shots. The left hook was in evidence, and Eastman had to use some excellent footwork on occasion to make the Frenchman miss. Eastman looked in control, using the tiniest adjustments to make Cherifi miss wildly, before planting his feet and ramming home the jab, or a chopping short right hook which jotled the onrushing Cherifi in his tracks

In the 2nd, Cherifi, using his formidable physical strength, bulled Eastman to the ropes, and began to tee of with wild shots. Eastman soaked up the pressure, before wheeling off the ropes, and firing off a salvo of shots, many blocked, which penned the Frenchman firmly against the ropes. It curtailed the success of the Frenchman right then and there, and was to set the tone for the fight.

With 2 rounds in the bag, the tempo wound up further, with Cherifi bulling forward, as Eastman fought adroitly of the back foot, all the while throwing big shots as he slowly but surely broke down his opponent's will.

Cherifi came on strong, in an attempt to break the pattern of the fight, and began to offload big left hooks and lead shots, many of which got through to Eastman, but didn't shake him in the least. After soaking up the early pressure of the Frenchman, Eastman returned to his painful business, landing the jab with force and regularity, and switching upstairs and down, unveiling his most lethal weapon forthe first time, his thunderous right uppercut. Cherifi was being halted in his tracks whenever he tried to force the fight, and despite landing many clean shots to Eastman's chin, was coming off worse in the exchanges.

It seemed now a matter of time before Cherifi would get broken down, every exchange was punctuated by far heavier shots from Eastman, and Cherifi was unable to find a way to dent Eastman's confidence or his chin.

The 4th saw a similar trend, with Eastman commanding the centre of the ring, firing off powerful lead lefts, and again using the uppercut to great effect. Eastman was beginning to load up on his shots now, but Cherifi never failed to try and exert pressure, and every time he appeared to be hurt, he would open up a 2-fisted attack on Eastman.

For the first time, Eastman landed a shot in this round which seriously trouble Cherifif, a mammoth left hook which has the Frenchman momentarily reeling. Cherifi however soon steeled himself, and pursued Eastman with renewed vigouor.

It was around this time, that I began to feel a little sorry for the Frenchman, because at this point it seemed clear to me that there was no real way he could win this fight. His own best shots seemed to bounce harmlessly off of Eastman's titanium jaw. With his face becoming increasingly marked, and his warrior's heart carrying him into the firing line of an opponent with a huge advantage in punch power, it seemed inevitable that Cherifi would ship a lot of punishment in this fight.

The 5th saw a slight change of tactic from Eastman, who began to employ a long left hook under the ribcage. With Cherifi seemingly able to soak up Eastman's big shots to the head, at least so far, it was a welcome change, and in truth I would have liked to have seen Eastman go downstairs a lot earlier.

Eastman is not really known for his body work, but his natural punchpower seems to be even more devastating when alloyed to astute body work. The long left hooks he landed to Cherifi's ribs and midriff in this round, had far more effect than the numerous shots to the head he had landed. The first big shot, which landed under the left hand side of Cherifi's ribcage, had him physically gasping for air, and he momentarily hunched forward in pain.

The wind began to leave Cherifi's sails, and Eastman stepped into the breach with an impressive variety of work, uppercuts thundered through Cherifi's guard, right hands boomed off his chin, the jab pecked at him, and the cumulative effects brought winces of pain from Cherifi who was really under the cosh now. It seemed there was nowhere in the ring Cherifi could hide from Eastman's power and increasing workrate.

By the end of the 6th, you began to wonder just how much more punishment Cherifi should be allowed to take, although he didn't look in much danger of going down, he was taking a severe pummelling the head and body, and his pride was in danger of being to his own detriment.

Right at the end of the round, a fantastic right cross exploded on Cherifi's jaw, and for the first time, his legs failed him, as he reeled across the ring. Eastman leapt on him, trying to finish matter, but the wily old French campaigner refused to capitulate, mugging, spoling and holding his way to see out the round.

In the 7th Eastman returned to a more measured pace, systematically pecking, prodding and picking at the wounded Cherifi, each shot taking a little more of his heart away all the while avoiding the Frenchman's own shots.

Eastman looked masterful in this round. His footwork and timing were immaculate, Fred Astair and Gene Kelley couldn't have done it better. His accuracy was absolutely pinpoint, and he winkled the openings with the delicate eye of a master tailor.

Whenever Cherifi, who had never given up hope, surged forward, Eastman would take a step backward or sideways, and make Cherifi look like a lunging amateur, as his shots chopped through thin air. It was Eastman all the way, and you wondered just how long Cherifi's gallantry should be allowed to continue as he took as systematic beating.

In the 8th, Cherifi came out swinging, by this time he was whaling away, desperate to land anywhere and everywhere, as he tried one last desperate effort to turn the tide. He brought the fight inside, but Eastman would outwork him and land the heavy uppercuts to deter him, he tried to work from the outside, but Eastman's jab and lead right picked him off. No matter what he tried, there was no way he could match Eastman in any department, save fighting heart, which Cherifi had in spades.

It was to be his last effort. Between rounds, he was retired by his corner, who mercifully pulled him out, citing a badly damaged nose. In truth, Cherifi could have continued, and may even have lasted the fight, but he had no chance of winning, and was getting badly hurt in there. It was the right decision to pull him out.

All in all, it was a slightly unsatisfactory ending to a great performance from Eastman, but for me, there still remain some niggling concerns about Eastman's chances at the very highest level.

Eastman desperately was looking for an impressive stoppage win. I for one don't believe the bunkum from Eastman that he was putting on a slightly sub-par performance to make Joppy and Hopkins think they could beat him.

Eastman could and should have stopped Cherifi between the compass' of the bell, and had he employed his body attack either earlier or more frequently in the fight, I have no doubt that Cherifi would have finished the fight on his knees.

In the 5th, Cherifi was in desperate trouble from the first big left hook to the body that he took. Had Eastman trapped him along the ropes and thrown a combination of shots to the body, I really think the fight would have ended then and there.

Now maybe Eastman didn't notice just how badly hurt Cherifi was, but what worries me is that Eastman lacks a true finishers instincts. Although Eastman has fantastic punchpower for a middleweight, his application of that power and shot selection lets him down at times. Howard has just about every shot in the book at his disposal, but at times, he puts punches together in predictable strings, allowing his opponents to survive longer than they otherwise would.

He also fights at too consistent a pace for me at times, allowing his opponent time to recuperate and spoil, when the application of different shots and a really ferocious attack could finish matters more definitively.

He also took some sustained shots from Cherifi, especially early in the fight, and whilst his chin held up excellently, I would be far less confident about his ability to soak up a combination of shots from Hopkins.

It may seem like I am being overly critical of Eastman, who fought and systematically took apart a well respected and seasoned campaigner, who although perhaps a little past his best, was still a very tough customer indeed.

However, it is just these points that will mean the difference between another performance that sees him almost winning a title, or turning in the kind of losing effort that allows a fighter to convince himself that he was robbed, like his losing effort against Joppy.

Eastman said after the fight, that Cherifi hit much harder than Joppy, which he probably does, but against Joppy, Eastman was hit with regularity and precision on many occasions. Eastman exacerbated this problem by not capitalising on his early chances, and continuously waiting too long to pull the trigger.

Cherifi was an easier night's work, partly because he didn't have the hand speed of Joppy, nor the movement around the ring, but also that Eastman mentally knew he had the beating of Cherifi going in to the ring. Confidence breeds confidence, and it was evident from his night's work that Eastman was
able to try out some new moves and use the fight as a bit of a workout, even though it was a hard fought and real contest.

At this stage, Howard looks ready to me to take on and beat anyone except Hopkins, who even now I think has too many tricks in the bag, too much power, and too much of an all-round game for Eastman. That's not to say it's impossible for Eastman to win that fight, but I find it unlikely that Hopkins has slipped far enough for Eastman to outwork him. It would however be an excellent fight, in the unlikely even it ever gets made.

I think that Hopkins will be contest to make his 20 title defences without including Eastman in his plans. His next fight is against William Joppy, in a fight, which in my opinion is no certainty for Hopkins. Presuming he does come through that victorious, it seems that Robert Allen will be his next opponent. This leaves Hopkins at 19 title defences, and it seems unlikely that Eastman would figure as a final defence opponent.

Eastman at this stage of the game is too risky for Bernard, with not enough return on that risk. Eastman is a charismatic fighter, but not enough of a draw to generate the huge sums of money that Hopkins would want to take on a fight which would test him. Hopkins believes that he has the beating of Joppy, and despite my feelings that there could be an upset, is probably right, I'm not so certain that he would be as confident against Eastman.

Eastman's best bet to me would be to either take on someone like the comebacking Keith Holmes, or try to tempt Jermain Taylor into the ring. A win over Holmes would mark time until a bigger fight comes along, but Holmes may consider this too risky as a first comeback fight. Jermain Taylor is really still at the prospect stage, although in a division as thin on the ground with genuine contenders as the middleweights, he could be in the mix sooner rather than later. If Taylor's camp were prepared to take a big jump up in class on, it could make for an entertaining fight, and one which could prepare American audiences for a big title fight showdown involving Hopkins or Joppy.

Whatever happens now, Eastman needs a big name American opponent to satisfy his talent and potential.