JAMAICA’S Caribbean and Commonwealth Zonal Boxing Champion Sakima Mullings will challenge journeyman Howard Eastwood of Guyana for the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) Welterweight title in Guyana on April 20.

The 30-year-old Mullings, with a professional record of 11-1 with seven knockouts, said the distinguished Eastman, is the gateway to greater things to come.

“This is a guy I want on my résumé. He is the gatekeeper, in terms of me stepping on the international stage. It’s a great name to have on my résumé,” Mullings told the Jamaica Observer at a media launch at GNLD in Liguanea, yesterday, shortly after the announcement.

Eastman, 42, nicknamed the ‘Battersea Bomber’, is a distinguished former British middleweight champion with a record of 46 wins, 10 defeats.

He was also European champion after defeating Robert McCracken before losing twice in world title fights to William Joppy and Bernard Hopkins.

“He is the most decorated Guyanese fighter, who spent most of his career fighting out of England. I look at Eastman as a great opportunity for me because of the legacy and his pedigree that he has accomplished in boxing,” said Mullings.

“He has fought for the world title on three different occasions against Bernard Hopkins, William Joppy and he was European champion, three-time Commonwealth champion and British champion, so the list goes on and on. So I have grown up and watched Eastman on the big stage. I have watched him on HBO, watched him on Pay per View, Showtime and ESPN,” he noted.

Mullings, who last defeated fellow Jamaican Rikardo Smith on the under card of the Nicholas Walters title fight in December, said he is confident of bringing home the belt to Jamaica and a purse of US$3,500.

“I am very confident. Eastman is a great fighter, and I am not over confident, and I am not underestimating my opponent in no way because I have seen what he was able to do in his record, and his accolades and credentials speak for themselves,” said Mullings.

He continued: “But I look at it like… you have had your time, now it’s mine. I will be stepping up to the plate, and I have done all the work physically, and I am mentally prepared for it. I am confident, but not underestimating my opponent, no way.”

Mullings — who returned to live in Jamaica in 2008, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the State University of New York — will leave the island on April 17, along with his entourage of manager Chris Brown and trainers Wayne Shaw and Godfrey Collins.

The winner of the title fight will get an automatic berth to represent CABOFE in the upcoming WBC World Cup, which will be aired on Fox Network. The fighters will fight in four weight divisions — heavyweight, welterweight, lightweight and featherweight over a nine-month period.

At the end of the tournament the winner will become the mandatory challenger for the WBC World Champion in each category.

“We are going to make a mark on Jamaica’s boxing,” said manager Brown. “But first we are going to deal with Howard Eastman, win that belt and bring it back to Jamaica.

“After that we will be doing a show in Jamaica, where each boxer on the Jamaica genesis team will be fighting for a belt.”

According to Brown, Devon Moncrieffe will be fighting for the CABOFE belt at 160lb (middleweight division); Tsetsi Davis likewise in the 154lb division (welterweight) and Rudolph Headley (flyweight) will be challenging the 115lb.

“That’s our plan across the board, but first we must go get this belt. Sakima is well trained, prepared, dedicated, and motivates everybody when we train,” noted Brown.