By Scott Gilfoid: Before he gets a hoped for third world title fight against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, #14 WBC Tony Thompson (40-5, 27 KOs) wants to beat Olympic medalists Anthony Joshua (10-0, 10 KOs) of Britain, and WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs) in back to back fights.
Thompson thinks Joshua still needs more schooling and that’s why he wants to face him first before he gets to Wilder and Klitschko. Thompson is impressed with the 6’6” Joshua’s skills, and he sees a bright future ahead of the heavily muscled Brit.
The 6’5” Thompson feels that Joshua isn’t ready for the lesson he’s going to give him.
“Anthony Joshua has graduated to the College of Boxing; I am on the PhD of Boxing right now! So right now it’s no contest,” Thompson said via Skyboxing.com. “If his people think he is ready for the lessons I will give him – and it will be a mistake on their part – he is just not ready.”
Joshua isn’t scheduled to fight until next month on April 14th against an opponent still to be determined at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom. If Joshua gets through that fight without getting nicked up or badly hurt, then he wants to fight again in April.
As of now, Joshua is still recovering from a back injury he sustained in his last fight against 39-year-old journeyman Michael Sprott last November. It’s hoped that the back injury won’t be a reoccurring thing for the 25-year-old Joshua, because he’s too young to have his career sidelined over and over again due to back problems.
“I think the best way to fill this year is to beat an Olympian in Joshua, then beat another Olympian in Deontay Wilder,” Thompson said. “I guess you can call me the Olympian killer!”
Getting Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn to green light a fight between Joshua and Thompson might not be that easy. Hearn is taking his time in putting Joshua in with David Price, who was stopped twice by Thompson in 2013. If Hearn isn’t rushing to put Joshua in with Price, then it’s highly unlikely that Hearn is going to put Joshua in with an even better fighter in Thompson.
Joshua’s problem is that he’s been put in with nothing but fodder since he turned pro after winning a controversial gold medal in the super heavyweight class in the 2012 London Olympics. Hearn has been matching Joshua ever so carefully against weak opposition, and Joshua has thus far still not fought past the 3rd round.
With all the heavy muscles Joshua has, it’s quite possible he could gas out if someone like Thompson takes him into the deep waters by getting him past the 6th round. Like we saw with Price, Joshua might be a much different fighter if he’s forced to fight at a fast pace. If Joshua gasses out against Thompson, then he’s going to get hit a lot and I wouldn’t be surprised if Thompson bowls him over the same way Dillian Whyte did to Joshua.
Deontay will be fighting in the summer, and Thompson would be the ideal opponent for him unless Thompson doesn’t want the fight. It seems to me that the smarter fight for Thompson right now is against Deontay, and then Joshua.
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