Hopkins finds Eastman forgettable

Both Bernard Hopkins and Joes Calzaghe did public workouts for fans at Planet Hollywood on Tuesday. Workout is actually generous for the effort either put in. Calzaghe shadow-boxed for about five minutes before finishing with a round of autograph signing, Hopkins also did some shadow boxing and then some skipping, having spent ten minutes getting his hands wrapped.

Hopkins also had a 20-minute chat with the media, which basically consisted of one big scrum. But sometimes people say that what comes out of the 43-year-old is not exactly the truth. That was certainly the case when he said he was looking forward to facing Calzaghe because he had never fought a Brit before.

It was soon pointed out to him that he had in fact boxed a Brit, Howard Eastman, who he defended his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO middleweight titles against in Los Angeles in 2005. It is perhaps not surprising that he forgot, as it was an instantly forgettable points win for Hopkins.

"I did beat a Brit before, didn’t I?" Hopkins said. "You know how I missed that. I thought I was beating another black guy in North Philadelphia.

"Joe does a lot more than Howard Eastman, but Joe’s definitely not a bigger puncher. Joe worries about his hands a lot, that’s why he slaps with the knuckles. He doesn’t want to hit with full force because he’s gun shy, so he works on volume, not perfection."