EXXECUTION DAY
BERNARD HOPKINS vs HOWARD EASTMAN

UNDISPUTED MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION, BERNARD HOPKINS LOOKING TO MAKE HIS 20TH MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE DEFENCE

Undisputed middleweight champion, Bernard Hopkins will defend his middleweight championship title for the 20th time when he faces Howard Eastman on Saturday, February 19 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The 40-year old Hopkins is intent on proving that he is the best and the best just keeps getting better.

In the televised co-feature, highly regarded U.S. Olympic bronze medallist and middleweight contender, Jermain Taylor will put his undefeated record on the line in a ten round bout against unbeaten Daniel Edouard.

Hopkins is the first fighter in history to hold all four world title belts simultaneously. Included in his victories are wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad, Glen Johnson, William Joppy, Simon Brown and Keith Holmes. Hopkins set a new record for successful middleweight title defenses when he stopped Carl Daniels in 2002 for his 15th defense, surpassing the record of fourteen set by Carlos Monzon.

Challenger, Howard "The Battersea Bomber" Eastman (40-1, 34 KOs) is a top five contender in the WBC, WBA, and IBF. The 34-year old native of Guyana has been thrilling British fans for over ten years with his boxing style and determination. North American 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 Eastman won.

In the co-feature, Jermain Taylor (22-0, 16 KOs), a former 2000 US Olympian, enters the ring against Daniel Edouard. The 26-year old "Bad Intentions" Taylor from Little Rock, Arkansas is coming off a 12-round decision win over William Joppy this past December and a win over Edouard will move him one step closer to his dream of fighting for the middleweight championship.

Daniel Edouard (16-0-2, 9 KOs) is 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 do battle every time he enters the ring. Edouard won the vacant USBA middleweight title with a fourth round stoppage of previously unbeated Willie Gibbs in August 2004 in what many considered to be a candidate for fight of the year.