Would Calzaghe have done a better job on Eastman?

Eastman back then wasn't all that bad of a fighter, very impressive KO percentage - which is why Calzaghe ducked him, and why there isn't a conclusive answer to your question.

I've no doubt Calzaghe would fight Eastman now and KO him though.

 

duddy beat eastman pretty well at middleweight,calzaghe schools eastman.

 

I never at any point suggested that Eastman would beat Calzaghe - what I was saying was that Eastman at the time looked like a risky fight, having only lost on points to Joppy (when in all reality he was ****ing robbed) when he faced Hopkins.

That's the reason Calzaghe ducked him, he looked dangerous.

 

Depends on how you measure impressive.

Hopkins arguably shut Eastman out....so I mean, is there much more impressive it could have gotten?

Tho Im sure a few of the Calzaghe maniacs on here will say he would have....

 

Calzaghe didn't duck Eastman. What did Eastman achieve at 168 to get a shot at Calzaghe?

 

Eastman never fought at 168 to my knowledge, what that's got to do with anything is anyones guess though.

Hopkins has never fought at 168 either yet Joe was calling him out back in the day, and talking **** about Jones who was at 175. I think matching up a top 160 contender against a WBO 168 champ is a fair matchup, Eastman was as worthy of a shot at that title as anyone Calzaghe had ever fought to that point. Calzaghe definately wasn't worthy of a shot at the undisputed 175 title yet some of his fans to this day claim Jones avoided him :nut Same story with Hopkins back then, one was an undisputed champion and the other was a WBO trinket holder yet Hopkins was supposed to come to Wales to fight :huh

 

This type of thinking is what ruins boxing.... atsch

 

Guys, Eastman being a slow fighter with no defence, relying on his chin and working as a basic pressuring boxer-puncher....

These are the types that Calzaghe absolutely eats alive. He would pepper Eastman brutally and I feel would score an accumulation stoppage.

Eastman competitive with Joppy? So what, Joppy was about the same level, a solid B fighter.

Hopkins won the fight 117-111, Calzaghe would likely win every round and stop him on his best night. On a bad night, as Joe's a hot/cold fighter, such as the fight versus Bika, Calzaghe likely drops a few rounds but wins a wide decision like Hopkins did.

Does anybody seriously see Howard Eastman, a career B- fighter moving up to 168 and doing much to Joe Calzaghe? Is anybody going to suggest that?

Eastman was never a top fighter, worse than a prime Joppy.

 

Great post...I agree totally...:good

But as you just said...

Why then do you expect him to eat alive Hopkins, when he is pretty much the opposite type of the fighter???

:huh

 

At his best Eastman was a top 10 middleweight who happened to be born in the same country as Calzaghe. Hardly qualifications to challenge at 168, maybe I'm just a traditionalist but anyone outside of the "superstars" who is serious about challenging for a world title should at least fight at the weight.

 

So why did Joe leave the job to Hopkins then? No-ones arguing that Eastman could beat Joe, hindisight and all that. The fact is when the fight was being talked up there was nothing but silence from camp Calzaghe. Eastman would have taken the fight in a heartbeat, he fought Hopkins remember, and Joppy - and went to America to do both.

Eastman had failings but he was a brave man and a warrior. The same cannot be said for Calzaghe, who has taken the path of least resistance for his entire career.

 

That may have been true back in the old days, but not any more.

I could include Peter Manfredo in my argument here but I can't be bothered. It's all about meaningful fights, and Eastman had a few of those when he was calling out Calzaghe, Manfredo didn't yet he got the shot which proves what a **** Calzaghe is and that the weight is ****ing irrelevent, it's 8lbs. The 168 division is historically a stepping stone anyway, the only person that's taken that division seriously is Calzaghe which is why he's so revered amongst the ******s.