by James Slater, photos courtesy of klitschko.com: Tonight, in Hamburg, Germany, IBF and WBO heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko turned back the challenge of the durable but ponderous Tony Thompson in 11 rounds. A big right hand to the head sent the 36-year-old challenger down, and referee Joe Cortez counted “The Tiger” out in the act of rising. The official time was 1 minute and 38 seconds of the round.
Klitschko, while being pretty much in control throughout, was his usual safety first self. His left jab was not thrown with the commanding authority it could have been, and had he gone for it, the finish could’ve come a few rounds sooner at least. Or so it appeared. Sure, Thompson has a good chin and he took a number of hard shots well enough, but the challenger was no way near elusive enough. Presenting the 32-year-old champ with an upfront, easy target, the southpaw from Washington D.C was almost a sitting duck for straight punches at times..
Thompson got off to a reasonable start, winning the first round on this writer’s card. And in the 2nd an accidental clash of heads left both men cut over the right eye. “The Tiger” also managed to get his right jab off to good effect at times in the earlier rounds. Indeed, “Dr. Steel Hammer” soon had a reddening underneath his left eye – courtesy of the challenger’s jab.
But before too long Klitschko fully demonstrated his dominance and the fight was all but knocked out of Thompson. Major distress signals were being given by the 36-year-old by the 10th round – as after the two clattered heavily to the mat following a messy fall Thompson did not seem to want to get up. It was clear he was all but done.
Sure enough, the end came in the following round, as a big right hand to the head sent Thompson to the floor. Rolling over while clutching the side of his head, the challenger was badly hurt. Struggling to get back up, Thompson was counted out in the act of rising by Cortez.
In the end, Thompson proved to be something of a disappointment, even though he took a number of hard shots without buckling. Klitschko had a very easy target in front of him, and as soon as Thompson got tired his desire began to fade. However, Wladimir, without doing anything too spectacular, once again proved he is the best of the current heavyweight champions.
In retaining his IBF and WBO belts, Klitschko improved to 51-3(45). Thompson fell to 31-2(19).