By Jason Kim: IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (57-3, 50 KO’s) will be taking his second consecutive fight against a 40ish fighter in his bout next month against #2 IBF Tony Thompson (36-2, 24 KO’s) at the Stade de Suisse, Berne, Switzerland.

Wladimir was on the top of the world last year in July after beating WBA heavyweight champion David Haye by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision in a fight that interested boxing fans worldwide. Wladimir was at his best in that fight out-boxing the speedy, hard-hitting Haye with ease. However, as good as that win was, Wladimir ruined the good press that he got from that fight by following it up with a mismatch against 39-year-old former cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck in a fight that Wladimir didn’t have to take last March.

Wladimir could have taken on a younger and bigger heavyweight that would have likely given him more of a fight, but instead he picked out Mormeck, who had looked horrible in his three prior fights at heavyweight.

Wladimir then looked horrible against the tiny 5’10” Mormeck by clinching him every chance he could get. Eventually Wladimir was able to take him out in the 4th, but not before making the fight pretty much unwatchable by clinching so often against a fighter that had no chance of winning.

With a mismatch like that, you’d like to have seen Wladimir face a good opponent in his next bout. But instead of someone good, Wladimir is taking on 40-year-old Thompson in a fight that doesn’t interest fans in big numbers outside of Germany and Ukraine.

Wladimir has to of course beat Thompson, but he now has to do it grand fashion to impress boxing fans who might be getting tired of seeing his mismatches against awful opposition. Wladimir can’t play it safe like he did the last time he fought Thompson in 2008 by clinching so often. Wladimir has to go after Thompson to try and take him out early.