LOS ANGELES, CA - Once again, the 40-year-old Bernard Hopkins defied his age and executed his opponent.
Taking control after the fifth round, Hopkins, 46-2-1 (32 KOs) retained the undisputed middleweight championship with a unanimous 12-round decision over Howard Eastman, 40-2 (34 KOs) on Saturday night at the Staples Centre.
It was the 20th consecutive title defence for Hopkins, one of the all-time great boxers who is unbeaten since 1993 and who has won 26 consecutive fights.
"It's a big accomplishment, because no other middleweight has been able to get to 20 defences," he said. "And at 40, it's an accomplishment I worked to get my whole career."
Hopkins received more than he wanted from Eastman, a 34-year-old challenger who fought aggressively and gave his best effort. But Hopkins controlled the action after the fifth round, and the judges recorded scores of 118-110, 117-111, 116-112, all in favour of Hopkins.
"He takes a hell of a shot," Hopkins said. "He was able to give me some good shots but I gave them back. I got a few hickies. I give him a B-minus.
Neither fighter was knocked down or seriously hurt. But Hopkins displayed why he has been a champion for so long, finding the resources and skill to take control late, when most fighters his age begin to wilt.
The best rounds for Hopkins were eight, nine and 10, when he backed up Eastman with solid punches, primarily left hooks to the head. As the fight went on, Eastman became easier to hit, while Hopkins became more elusive.
In the ninth, Hopkins connected with a right cross that seemed to stun Eastman momentarily, forcing him to retreat to the ropes. Yet when Eastman hit Hopkins cleanly, he could not follow up with a consistent attack.
It was not a classic performance from Hopkins and, at times, the crowd of 12,828 booed, wanting more action. But Hopkins was satisfied, and he made it clear that he planned to continue his reign over his division.
"My goal was to get to 20 wins by any means," Hopkins said. "I didn't want to bore anybody but the way I was taught was to fight the fight that was best for me. Blame my trainer for that.
A native of Guyana who lives in London, Eastman refused to give Hopkins much credit. "He ran from me the whole night," he said.
"He was the champion, fighting in his backyard, but I dictated the pace. He has got to give me a rematch. If he's a true champion, he will. He didn't fight like a champ; he never hurt me. I'm disappointed with the decision."
In the top undercard fight, unbeaten Jermain Taylor stopped Daniel Edouard in the third round of their middleweight bout.
Taylor, considered the likely successor to Hopkins, controlled the bout throughout, landing over twice as many punches than Edouard.
"This was exactly the kind of performance I wanted," said Taylor, now 23-0 (17 KOs).
Edouard connected on just 12 of 90 jabs and dropped to 16-1-2 (9 KOs).
The fight ended when referee Ray Corona stepped in between the two as Taylor pummeled Edouard in the corner at two minutes, 26 seconds of the third round.
"I am very disappointed," he said afterward. "He caught me with a good shot, but I felt I could have continued. He stopped me, but he didn't show me anything I hadn't seen before. I just didn't get it done tonight."
A possible fight with Hopkins seems to be on the horizon for Taylor, and the young gun appears up for the challenge.
"It's an honor to be on this card (with Bernard Hopkins); I felt like this was an audition and I could feel the pressure," said Taylor. "It makes me nervous when they say I am the heir apparent. (Hopkins) is not my king. Being a prince is okay, but I want to be the king."
Hopkins said that he is willing to fight Taylor but is also looking at possible bouts with Puerto Rico's Felix Trinidad and light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson.
"If Jermain Taylor is ready, then he is ready to meet his fate," Hopkins said.
In other action, England's Junior Witter posted a unanimous decision win over Lovemore N'Dou.
Witter outpointed N'Dou after a grueling battle to retain his Commonwealth light welterweight title. The verdict was largely due to the two knockdowns he inflicted upon N'Dou, in the third and fourth rounds. Witter improves to 31-1-2 (19 KOs), while N'Dou falls to 39-8-1 (25 KOs).
Bobby Roy
LA Correspondent
Information from other publications and wire services was used in the compilation of this report.
