By John F. McKenna (McJack): WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO and Ring Magazine heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (57-3, 50 KO’s) says that he has improved since he last fought challenger Tony “The Tiger” Thompson (36-2, 24 KO’s) four years ago in July 2008. This time 36 year old “Dr. Steelhammer” says that he will KO his 40 year old challenger once more.
Thompson has won five fights in a row by KO since losing to Wladimir in his first shot at the heavyweight title. He was made the mandatory challenger for Klitschko’s IBF title belt when Eddie Chambers backed out of a scheduled title bout eliminator.
Thompson approximates Wladimir in size at 6’5” 247 pounds and he took Klitschko into the 11th round in their first title fight. Thompson has since revealed that he was not 100% physically prepared when he fought Wladimir the first time. The injured knee which hampered Tony “The Tiger” in the first Klitschko fight is now healed and will not be a problem when he engages Wladimir for a 2nd time.
Klitschko and Thompson will clash on July 7 at the Stade de Suisse Stadium in Bern, Switzerland. Switzerland’s fans fervently support the Klitchko brothers, as do their fans in Germany. Wladimir is of the opinion that he can not only maintain his present fighting peak for another three to four years, but actually improve. Legendary trainer Emanuel Steward, who trains Wladimir, is of the same opinion.
The bad news for any opponent who faces the Klitschko’s in the ring is that they take each and every opponent seriously, and train accordingly. Wladimir has shown an interest in coming to the United States if he is successful at fending off the Thompson challenge. It is rumored that a fight with Chris Arreola or Seth Mitchell is in the offing and that cable giant HBO may be interested in hosting the event. Madison Square Garden is a possible venue for such a fight, but at this point everything is tentative.
The last time Wladimir fought in the United States was against then WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov in February 2008. Klitschko won every round in what proved to be an extremely boring fight. To some degree Klitschko wants another shot at redemption in the United States. After his fight with Ibragimov, HBO was reluctant to showcase the extremely talented but sometimes boring Wladimir Klitschko. He wants a chance to turn things around.
It seems that at this stage of his career it would be mutually beneficial for both HBO and Wladimir for Klitschko to fight in the United States. Klitschko has improved markedly over the last four years and has pretty much buried the demons (the three KO’s he suffered) which plagued him earlier in his career. The advantage to HBO would be that he does not carry the baggage which so many other high profile fighters do. There is also a distinct possibility that showcasing Wladimir and his brother Vitali in the United States would open up an entirely new fans base of boxing fans who have become disgusted with the sport of boxing as it now stands.
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