By John F. McKenna (McJack): WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO and Ring Magazine heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (57-3, 50 KO’s) will be defending his title for the twelfth time on July 7 in Bern, Switzerland against Tony “The Tiger” Thompson (36-2, 34 KO’s). Klitschko acknowledges that Thompson will be a tough opponent and gave him one of his toughest challenges when they last fought four years ago in July 2008.

At 6’5” and 245 pounds Thompson is nearly equal to Wladimir in size, so that will not be a factor in this fight. In their first fight Thompson succeeded in taking “Dr. Steelhammer” into the 11th round before being knocked out. Tony insists that he will be 100% physically for the Klitschko fight and that his performance in 2008 was hampered by a knee injury that is now healed.

Both Wladimir and his trainer the legendary Emanuel Steward insist that both Thompson’s southpaw stance and his experience make him a difficult opponent. In addition “The Tiger” has won five fights in a row, all by KO since losing to Klitschko. The winning streak gives Tony a big boost in confidence going into the Klitschko fight. Thompson’s five fight winning streak also put him in the position of being the International Boxing Federation (IBF) mandatory challenger for Klitschko.

Wladimir, who along with his brother Vitali, holds all the heavyweight title belts. His current six year title reign is now one of the longest title reigns in the history of the heavyweight division. Joe Louis’ record 25 title defenses and nearly 12 year title reign, which have stood for over sixty years, seem to be unreachable.

Although Klitschko is currently focused on defending his title against Thompson, there has been some talk of him defending his title against slugger Chris Arreola (35-2, 30 KO’s) in November if he gets past Thompson. If that fight comes to fruition there is a possibility that the venue will be Madison Square Garden in New York City. Cable giant HBO has expressed interest in airing the event.

Wladimir, who has fought almost exclusively in Germany over the past several years, has expressed a desire to broaden his profile by fighting in the United States. New York City would offer a cultural diversity of ethnicity that would ensure a huge turnout for both Klitschko and Arreola.