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HBO Championship Boxing Hopkins vs. Eastman Taylor vs. Edouard
February 19, 2005 Staples Center - 6:45pm PT Los Angeles, California
Undisputed Middleweight Title Bout (12 Rds) Champ Bernard Hopkins (45-2-1, 32 KOs) vs. Howard Eastman (40-1, 34 KOs)
Middleweight Bout (10 Rds) Jermain Taylor (22-0, 16 KOs) vs. Daniel Edouard (16-0-2, 9 KOs)
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“EXXECUTION DAY”
same period of time, in which some boxers have fought entire careers, 19 men have tried to take that world championship away from him. They all failed.
For any boxer to stay unbeaten over a decade and 25 fights is an amazing feat – to do it at the highest level of the sport is nothing short of historic.
On February 19, 2005, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles , undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins , the first fighter in history to hold all four world title belts simultaneously, will defend his championship for the 20th time when he faces top contender Howard Eastman.
This 12 round bout, which headlines a stellar night of boxing presented by Golden Boy Promotions, will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 6:45pm PT.
In the televised co-feature, highly regarded U.S. Olympic bronze medalist and middleweight contender Dibella Entertainment's Jermain Taylor will put his undefeated record on the line in a ten round bout against fellow unbeaten Daniel Edouard.
Doors open at 3:00pm and the first
bell rings at 3:30pm. 1995, when he stopped Segundo Mercado in seven rounds. Since then, “The Executioner” has cut a swath through the 160-pound division, draining it of all top contenders on more than one occasion, and included in his list of victories are wins over future hall of famers Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad, and world champions Glen Johnson, William Joppy, Simon Brown and Keith Holmes. In 2002, Hopkins set a new record for successful middleweight title defenses when he stopped Carl Daniels for his 15th defense, surpassing the record of 14 set by the legendary Carlos Monzon. On February 19, the 40-year-old Hopkins will look to make his 20th successful defense, proving that the best just keeps getting better.
One of the best fighters in the entire United Kingdom , challenger Howard “The Battersea Bomber” Eastman (40-1, 34 KOs) would like nothing better than to spoil Hopkins ' quest for history by defeating the long-time champion. A top five contender in the WBC, WBA, and IBF, the 34-year-old native of Guyana has been thrilling British fans for over 10 years with his classic boxing stylings and gritty determination. U.S. fans may best remember Eastman for his 2001 bout with William Joppy, where he dropped the former world champion en route to losing a controversial 12 round majority decision that many observers believed he won. Eastman is vowing to bring his own judges back to the States with him on February 19th – his fists.
A young man who is gearing up for a challenge of Hopkins in the future is former 2000 US Olympian Jermain Taylor, who brings 22-0 (16 KOs) record into his bout with Daniel Edouard . Fresh off a shutout 12 round decision win over William Joppy last December, the hard-hitting 26-year-old from Little Rock, Arkansas knows that an impressive win over Edouard will move him one step closer to his dream of fighting for the middleweight championship.
But Daniel Edouard (16-0-2, 9 KOs) is no stepping-stone, and he proved that by eagerly accepting the bout against the highly touted Taylor with no hesitation. Entering his fourth year as a professional, “The Haitian Sensation” has rapidly made a name for himself with his crowd-pleasing style and willingness to go to battle each and every time he steps between the ropes. In his last bout, which was nationally televised on ESPN2 on August 27, 2004, Edouard won the vacant USBA middleweight title with a fourth round stoppage of previously unbeaten Willie Gibbs in a toe-to-toe battle that many considered to be a fight of the year candidate.
And while the two televised bouts feature the present standouts of the sport, the action-packed undercard on February 19th will give fans in attendance a glimpse at the future of boxing.
One of the toughest middleweights in the world, Kingsley Ikeke (21-1, 11 KOs ) will look to duplicate his breakout year of 2004 when he kicks off 2005 with a ten round bout against an opponent to be determined. The NABF, NABO, and NABA middleweight champion, fresh off a fifth round stoppage of Rene Arostegui, hopes this will be the year when he finally gets his world title shot.
Bantamweight sensation Abner Mares (1-0, 1 KO) will look to build from the momentum of his first pro win on Janaury 6 in a six rounder sure to get the STAPLES Center crowd on its feet. A 2004 Mexican Olympian with thunder and lightning in his fists, Mares needed only two rounds to send his first pro opponent, Luis Malave, to defeat, and the native of Guadalajara is itching to get back in the ring on February 19th.
Also representing the Olympic class of 2004 is US representative Vicente Escobedo, who will be making his professional debut in the lightweight division. A classy boxer-puncher who has been favorably compared to Oscar De La Hoya, Escobedo is a fighter destined for great things in the pro ranks.
Opening up the card is highly regarded featherweight prospect Aaron Garcia (1-0). The 22-year-old San Diego native, who compiled 118 wins and two National Championships as an amateur, will face a to be announced foe in a four round contest.
For more information on Golden Boy
Promotions, please visit our website at
www.goldenboypromotions.com
ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.
- Press Release issued by Golden Boy Promotions with a little editing from us (color, highlights, etc...)
Card subject to change
(2/15/05)
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