40-year-old Tony Thompson likely Wladimir’s next opponent after 39-year-old Mormeck

By Boxing News - 12/26/2011 - Comments

Image: 40-year-old Tony Thompson likely Wladimir's next opponent after 39-year-old MormeckBy Dan Ambrose: Right about I wouldn’t mind so much to see another mismatch between IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (56-3, 49 KOs) and former WBA heavyweight belt holder David Haye because the alternatives for Wladimir in 2012 are going downhill rapidly in my estimations.

First of all, Wladimir will be starting off the year facing the smallish 39-year-old former cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck (36-4, 22 KO’s) in a terrible mismatch on March 3rd at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany. Mormeck has been struggling at the heavyweight level since he moved up in weight in 2009. He’s fought three times against 2nd tier opposition and barely won all three fights.

I had Mormeck losing all three fights. Now he’s being asked to fight perhaps the best heavyweight in the division. It’s going to be a slaughter. After this mismatch, Wladimir will likely be required to face his International Boxing Federation heavyweight mandatory challenger 40-year-old Tony Thompson (36-2, 24 KO’s) next in 2012. Wladimir already knocked this guy out three years ago in an 11th round TKO.

Thompson has won his last five bouts since then against Adrian Serin, Chazz Witherspoon, Owen Beck, Paul Marinaccio and Maurice Harris. However, there’s nothing in the 6’5” southpaw Thompson’s performances that would suggest that he’ll do any better in a rematch with Wladimir. If anything, it’ll be much worse the next time around, as Thompson is slower than he was three years ago and will have problems with Wladimir’s movement, bigger power and much better hand speed. Thompson will be next unless Wladimir can contact the IBF to get another extension. He already did that so that he could slip in the fight against 39-year-old Mormeck.

But as you see, Wladimir is going to be taking the senior’s circuit in 2012 at least for two of his fights. I can’t to see who will be the fighter that gets picked out for his three fight of the year. My guess is it will be Tomasz Adamek, who recently failed miserably in a 10th round TKO loss to Wladimir’s brother WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.

Thompson was fairly competitive with a timid Wladimir in 2008 for much of the fight until Wladimir’s trainer Emanuel Steward finally got through to Wladimir that he needed to turn up the heat on Thompson to get him out of there instead of just pawing at him. Once Wladimir turned on the jets, he quickly took Thompson out. Wladimir really needs to start fast in the rematch so that he doesn’t get marked up by Thompson’s jabs and right hooks.

Wladimir had problems with Thompson’s stance the last time and by fighting slowly, he really fought into Thompson’s style of fighting. He likes fight in a slow methodical manner so that he can set things up and get plenty of rest breaks. Wladimir fought exactly how Thompson likes to fight and let him hang around about 10 rounds longer than he should have.



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