Hopkins Defends Title for 20th Time

Undisputed middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins made his record 20th consecutive successful title defense with a workmanlike 12 round unanimous decision over Howard Eastman. The bout was uneventful but fairly even through five rounds as Hopkins took his time to figure out Eastman. However, from that point on it was all Hopkins. As usual, Hopkins did not concern himself with pleasing the crowd but he did plenty to impress the judges, who scored the bout 119-110, 117-111, 116-112. On the undercard, Jermain Taylor stopped previously unbeaten Daniel Edouard in three rounds. Taylor, 26, hopes his impressive showing earns him a shot at Hopkins later this year in what would be a fascinating match-up between fighters at opposite ends of their careers.