By Chris Williams: Next month IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (57-3, 50 KO’s) will be fighting a rematch against 6’5″ number #2 IBF contender Tony Thompson (36-2, 24 KO’s) at the Stade de Suisse, in Berne, Switzerland.

While the 36-year-old Wladimir is an overwhelming favorite to win this fight and retain his three title belts, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the southpaw Thompson wins this one.

The reason I feel this way is that if you look at their last fight together in 2008, Thompson hit Wladimir more than any other fighter in Wladimir’s career. This was just accident. Thompson, with his long arms and southpaw stance, he seemed to really have Wladimir’s number in that fight. He had the longer arms despite being an inch shorter than Wladimir, and with his longer arms, Thompson was able to land his jabs, right hooks and straight left hands all night long.

Wladimir was his usual self, clinching nearly nonstop, and pawing with his jabs instead of throwing them with authority. Wladimir didn’t even really try to throw his jabs all that much in the fight because Thompson did such a good job of picking them off with his guard.

Thompson has the advantage in the rematch of knowing exactly how Wladimir will try to fight him. It’s pretty easy to know because all Wladimir does nowadays is jab and then grab his opponents in a clinch. He may follow that with a straight right hand and then a grab, but it’s incredibly predicable.

The only thing that Thompson needs to do is either ram a straight left down the pike when Wladimir moves forward attempting to grab or hit him with a big right hook when Wladimir is grabbing at him. Either way, Thompson has a good chance of winning this fight simply by timing Wladimir’s clinch attempts.