Eastman closing in

23.07 - Howard Eastman is closing in on another world title shot fast. Since recently returning to the ring from a lay-off after his controversial points loss to William Joppy in November 2001 for the WBA middleweight title - a fight most thought he clearly won - the 'Battersea Bomber' has racked up five devastating victories inside the distance to underline his status as this countries best pound for pound talent.

Victory over the highly respected Hassine Cherifi will represent yet another step back towards where he truly belongs: at the very highest level. The 32-year-old from South London is already the WBC number one contender and his promoter Mick Hennessy is confident that it is only a matter of time before he can secure a major fight for his charge.

"There are some major showdowns out there for Howard Eastman," began Hennessy. "He has already demonstrated against opponents from this side of the pond that he is arguably the world's best middleweight, it will not be long before he is doing that against American opposition.

"His closest rivals over here have already been beaten in ruthless style - take the way he dismantled Scott Dann last time out as an example - or seem to want no part of him. I have already tried in vain to make fights against the likes of both Joe Calzaghe and Wayne Alexander so now it is time to look at the bigger picture.

He added: "The number one target is obviously undisputed champion Bernard Hopkins. The worst-case scenario is we wait for Howard's WBC mandatory challenge against him and take on some other big names in the interim.

"A victory over a widely respected operator such as Hassine Cherifi will obviously help our cause. That is not to say, though, that it is something we are taking for granted; Cherifi has been there and done it and is still extremely dangerous.

"Thankfully, you always know with Howard that he is focussed on the task at hand. One of his greatest assets is his professionalism and I am not sure I have ever come across a fighter who is more dedicated to his training."

Eastman-Cherifi Preview