In his first fight since knocking out Oscar De La Hoya last September, midleweight king Bernard Hopkins returns to the ring Saturday night in Los Angeles' Staples Center to make his twentieth title defence against veteran Howard Eastman.

By now Hopkin's story is well-known: the blue-collar fighter who grew up in the hardscrabble streets and gyms of Philadelphia, the ex-con who idolized Marvin Hagler and studied old fight tapes scrupulously, the old-school prizefighter who at age 40 is in his prime and approaching greatness. Hopkins, 45-2-1 (32), although often criticized for being overly cautious in the ring, never undertrains for any of his fights, and there is no doubt that he will be as ready for the hard-hitting, 34-year-old Eastman as he was for the "Golden Boy".

Eastman, 40-1 (34), is no stranger to the harsh realities of life either, having been homeless early on in his life. From Battersea, England courtesy of Guyana, most fight fans will know little of Eastman unless they saw his fight with William Joppy, which Eastman lost by decision but not before dropping the American fighter. With 34 knockouts on his resume, the skinny Eastman is deceptively strong, but then his opponents can not be considered the same calibre as Hopkins' (though the quality of B-Hop's opposition has been questioned, also).

This is an interesting fight, for a couple of reasons. First, if Eastman proves a stubborn adversary unwilling to wilt under Hopkins' offensive assault, he has a decent chance because of his potent punch, weird style and strong chin. Both are slow starters, but it's likely that Hopkins, wanting to make a statement in his monumental twentieth defence, will be the aggressor.

Second, at 40 years old, Bernard just has to show signs of being over-the-hill sooner or later, doesn't he? He hasn't so far. But Eastman is no slouch and is as hungry as a certain Philly-based fighter was ten years ago. Has Hopkins lost that hunger? Probably not, but the "Battersea Bomber" is more of a live underdog than any of Hopkins' last three opponents (De La Hoya, Robert Allen and Joppy). In boxing anything can happen, and Eastman certainly has enough skills to give the champion a run for his money.

Let's at least hope so, for boxing's sake.

Prediction: Hopkins KO 12