National middleweight boxing champion Howard `Battersea Bomber’ Eastman taught Leon `The Lion’ Gilkes a boxing lesson in their 10-round non-title bout in an otherwise lacklustre 32-round boxing card organized by S and S Promotions and the Guyana Boxing Board of Control last Saturday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Eastman, a two-time former world contender, who has fought in three successive boxing cards promoted locally, made light work of his opponent to win by a unanimous decision.
All three judges scored the fight 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91 in Eastman’s favour.
Eastman toyed with Gilkes from very early in the contest but questions remain about his punching power as he once again failed to knock out an opponent in a bout he dominated.
Gilkes, who tipped the scale at 169 lbs, and was originally billed to fight US-based Lennox `Too Sharp’ Allen on the card, took the fight to his opponent from the opening bell launching an aggressive attack but Eastman, fighting at 162 lbs, used his vast experience to stave off the early aggression and thereafter dominated the contest.
Gilkes and Allen were to meet in a 12-round elimination fight with the winner meeting Eastman for the his middleweight title later this year but Allen pulled out due to a reported hand injury he sustained while preparing for the contest.
Eastman, who once again proved that he is in a class above the rest of local boxers, utilized his vast repertoire of punches against Gilkes but was more severe on his midsection pounding away at his body at will especially midway and, in the latter stages of the fight.
Eastman’s record now stands at 45 wins, six losses with 35 knockouts.
In the main supporting bout Veronica Blackman turned the tables on Sharon Ward with a controversial split decision in their six-round catch weight match up, a decision that was booed by sections of the fair size crowd.
Blackman was the aggressor throughout the contest but Ward, who had won their previous encounter, counter-attacked well against the marauding Blackman but her efforts were not enough to convince the judges. The fight brought much entertainment to the fans who had to endure a dull four-rounder between Anthony Augustin and Clyde Williams in their four-rounder Catch weight contest that had little spark.
The heavier Augustin, who weighted in at 230 lbs, failed to use his weight advantage against the inexperienced Williams, who tipped the scale at 193 lbs. The fight was declared a draw by the judges.
Winston Pompey, who was knocked in his last outing against US-based Guyanese Raul Frank, last year, scored a unanimous points decision over the dreadlocked debutant Eversley Brown in their four-round Catch weight match.
Brown almost floored Pompey with a flurry of punches in the opening round but the experienced Pompey rallied and eventually took control of the remaining rounds.Cecil Smith scored a split decision over debutant Jermain King in the four-round lightweight encounter.
In the opening fight of the night, referee Eion Jardine stepped in at one minute, 55 seconds of the second round to save Patrick Boston from further punishment against Kwesi Jones in their four-round junior middleweight bout.
Boston had earlier suffered a knockdown in the round from a barrage of punches from Jones.
