In the not-so-highly anticipated rematch between Wladimir Klitschko and Tony Thompson, Wlad continued his reign of dominance in the heavyweight division with an even quicker and more resounding victory than he had in the first match. This time, in front of some 32,000 fans in Bern, Switzerland, Klitschko scored a 6th Round TKO win, official time of 2:56.
Though Thompson promised an aggressive, tough fight plan, in the ring, we saw little of that. He didn’t throw much, and he landed even less. Though he had one or two decent rounds in the mix, he was never truly in the fight. At the end of the 5th, Klitschko trapped his man against the ropes and began pummeling him, and sent him down with a thud.
Thompson managed to survive the onslaught and nearly did the same through the 6th, until Wlad pounced on him and eagerly began looking to close the show as Thompson still hadn’t recovered from the previous round. A wild combination finally found its mark, and left Thompson a crumpled heap in the corner. Though he tried to make it up, and he barely beat the count, the referee halted the action before any more damage could be done.
Klitschko vs. Thompson Photos
With the win, Wladimir improves to 58-3 with 51 crushing knockout victories. Now, as has been the case for several years, it’s just a matter of who we actually want to see him in the ring with next.
It’s likely that HBO will continue pushing American Seth Mitchell, and perhaps by early next year he’ll get a big fight opportunity. Then there are the rising Brits, David Price and Tyson Fury, both of whom have size, but neither of which seems at all ready for what Klitschko has to offer. Alexander Povetkin has made it blatantly clear that he wants no part of either brother, and Robert Helenius has been on the shelf and needs to get back in the ring and get a few wins under his belt. Where that leaves us is anybody’s guess.
But for now, another big, easy knockout victory for Klitschko the Younger. That’s 16 straight victories, including 13 by stoppage and 12 title defenses, over nearly 8 years. Say what you will about where he stands amongst the all-time greats, but there can never be any doubt about where he stands amongst this generation.