Raul Frank might have pulled out but his replacement to fight `Deadly’ Denny Dalton for the national middleweight title of Guyana is – based on his past record – a more formidable opponent.
The question fight pundits are asking at the moment is whether Dalton has bitten off more than he can chew in agreeing to fight the `Battersea Bomber’.
Eastman holds an impressive resume.
He has challenged twice for world titles and is a former British, Commonwealth and Euro-pean middleweight champion.
In fact, there is a bit of a dispute as to if Eastman still holds the Commonwealth title belt.
Boxing referee Eion Jardine seems to think so and is adamant that Eastman is still the Commonwealth champion.
Eastman, however, told Stabroek Sport that he had to relinquish the belt in order to fight for the World Title.
But all that is secondary to the main theme.
Eastman is as experienced as they come and that notwithstanding his trilogy with Andrew `Sixhead’ Lewis, Dalton might be in for the biggest fight of his career.
Howard Anthony Eastman was born on December 8 1970 in New Amsterdam and according to the records never fought an amateur or professional fight in Guyana before migrating to the United Kingdom at the relatively tender age of 15 in 1985.
One story of how Eastman got into boxing is that while attending a tough South London Comprehensive School Eastman witnessed and then challenged a playground bully.
After that Eastman joined the Battersea Boxing Club winning several amateur titles including the ABA welterweight title.
He began his professional career in impressive fashion on March 6, 1994, knocking out John Rice in the first round and then racked up 11 more wins in quick succession, 10 of which came by knockouts.
Eastman’s second fight against Andy Peach in London came eight days after his defeat of Rice and he also defeated Steve Phillips on March 22. Three fights in one month- an astonishing feat.
On December 11, 1996, he then challenged Sven Hamer for the vacant British Boxing Board of Control Southern Area middleweight title and won after the referee stopped the fight in the 10th round.
In winning he became the second Guyanese boxer after Dennis Andries (who held the light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles from 1984-1986 and in 1995) to hold such titles.
Three years later in Southwark, London, Eastman added a third belt to his collection knocking out Jon Penn in three rounds to win the vacant IBO Inter-Continental middleweight title.
He then travelled to Belfast, Ireland on May 22, 1999, to challenge Roman Babaev for the WBA Inter-Continental middleweight title.
He easily disposed of Babaev in the sixth round.
Between 1999-2000 Eastman defended his WBA and British titles five times knocking out all of his opponents.
On September 16, 2000, Eastman became the fifth Guyanese boxer to win the British Empire Common-wealth title and the second to do so in England, after the late Andrew Murray in 1993.
And Sammy Soliman became only the third boxer in 30 bouts to go the full distance with Eastman.
The Battersea Bomber got his first crack at the world title on November 17, 2001, in Las Vegas against William Joppy for the vacant WBA middleweight title. Joppy won by a controversial majority points decision.
Joppy was floored in the last round and the BBC Sport Online scored the bout 116-111 for Eastman.
The three judges – Chuck Giampa, Bill Graham and Robert Watson scored the bout 113-113, 115-112 and 114-112.
According to fight statistics, Joppy landed 21 more punches than the Guyanese, who landed more power punches.
Eastman was to chalk up eight more victories before challenging Bernard `The Executioner’ Hopkins for his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO middleweight titles on February 19, 2005, in Los Angeles.
Eastman lost this fight too on points.
He was invited by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control to visit Guyana which he did in December 2001.
Eastman had two losses in 2005-2006 to Arthur Abraham in Germany and to Edison Miranda being knocked out for the first time in his career.
He won back the British Commonwealth title in 2007 defeating Evans Ashira over 12 rounds. Eastman lost his last bout on December 8, 2007, to John Duddy.
His fight record reads 42 wins, six losses with 35 kayoes.
