Kevin 'Bus Boy' Hylton (left) and Howard 'The Battersea Bomber' Eastman. - Contributed

Howard 'The Battersea Bomber' Eastman, seeded No. 2, and the Caribbean boxing team's main hope for the Wray and Nephew welterweight Contender 2014 title, will make his bid for a semi-final spot tonight, when he goes up against Jamaica's Kevin 'Bus Boy' Hylton at the Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium. The action starts at 8:30 p.m with two amateur bouts and the main bout, which will be broadcast live on TVJ, is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m.

Eastman, who is one of the veterans in the Contender line-up, is the most experienced boxer in the competition and has an impressive record of 48 wins and 12 losses. What is also noteworthy, is that 38 of his victories have been by knockout or technical knockout.

In his first fight in the Contender series against Derrick Spencer, he had the crowd in a frenzy, as he launched a methodical and power-packed attack on his opponent, that led to the referee stopping the fight in the second round. With such a record, he is highly favoured against the 33-year-old Hylton, who goes into tonight's fight with six wins and three losses.

Hylton, who is a good defensive boxer, also had an impressive first fight, which ended with him scoring a technical knockout victory over Prince Lee Isidore from Trinidad and Tobago. Isidore fought aggressively in the first two rounds, and was again on the attack in the third, when he left himself open and Hylton tagged him with a savage right hook to the temple. Although he got to his feet, he was not fit to continue after the mandatory eight count and the referee called off the fight.

Some people believe that at age 43, Eastman is vulnerable, but he has shown so far that he is in great physical condition. He has been working out hard since he arrived in Jamaica in March, and his handlers are confident that he is in top condition and will give a good account of himself. The Caribbean team is in fact of the opinion that he will come out as the champion. Not one to boast, Eastman has nevertheless stated confidently that he is "fit and ready and will definitely win this fight".

Hylton will, without doubt, have his hands full tonight against a boxer who has been in the ring with some of the best boxers in the region. Known as a "spoiler", he uses a tight defence to wear down his opponent, after which he launches impressive counter-attacks. It promises to be an engaging encounter.