photo courtesy of www.klitschko.com -By Erik Schmidt: Using mainly powerful shots, heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) took out the tall 6’5″ Tony Thompson (31-2, 19 KOs) in an impressive 11th round TKO tonight in Hamburg, Germany. Wladimir picked up momentum as the fight progressed, punching a little harder in each of the rounds until the 11th round, when he went all out with big punches and eventually crushing Thompson with a big right hand that sent Thompson crashing to the canvas on his back.
The fight was stopped when Thompson didn’t make it off the canvas in time to beat the count. It fortunate for Thompson that he chose to stay down, because he would have likely taken even more punishment if he had tried to continue to fight on. At this point, Wladimir was fighting at his optimal level, not punching in the reserved, conservative manner that he had fought in most of the rounds.
Thompson, 36, who had looked good in recent fights with TKO wins over Luan Krasniqi and Cliff Couser, was in over his head against the equally as tall but much more powerful Wladimir Klitschko.
photo courtesy of www.klitschko.com –By Eric Thomas: IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko successfully defended his heavyweight titles tonight with a tougher than expected 11th round TKO of American challenger Tony Thompson (31-2, 19 KOs) at the Color Line Arena, Altona, in Hamburg, Germany. With Thompson suddenly looking tired and beaten late in the 10th round, Wladimir finally turned on his offensive firepower at the start of the 11th round and succeeded in flattening Thompson, 36, with a big right hand. 
Photo courtesy of www.klitschko.com and Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions. By Sean McDaniel: All week long, IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs) has looked timid around challenger Tony Thompson (31-1, 19 KOs), looking nervous when speaking to him in press conferences and in having to stand eye to eye with him while posing for pictures. In fact, I can’t remember Wladimir looking this nervous since his two-round blow out against Corrie Sanders in 2003. 
By Aaron Klein: It came to no surprise to me recently when heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs) stated in an interview that he wouldn’t be fighting David Haye any time soon, that he would have to “prove himself” before Wladimir would decide upon fighting him in the ring. It also didn’t surprise me to learn that Wladimir said that he would be teaching Haye “a lesson in the ring” when and if Haye ever reaches into to a fight with Wladimir. Obviously, it’s easy for Wladimir to talk now and make bold statements like this, with a fight with Haye light years into the future and something that may indeed never come off if Haye, or Wladimir are beaten. 
By Eric Thomas: With seven children to feed in his household and not a whole lot of money to pay for food, Tony Thompson (31-1, 19 KIs) has a lot more motivation going into this Saturday fight than IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs), who already is extraordinarily wealthy in comparison, having made millions in the fight game and with extensive endorsements. Indeed, perhaps no real understand of where Thompson, 36, is coming from in this regard because Wladimir has never hurt for money, coming from a family that was more middle class than poor. 
By Jason Kim: IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (5-3, 44 KOs) has a lot of ground to make up with boxing fans this Saturday night when he defends his title against American Tony Thompson (31-1, 19 KOs) in Hamburg, Germany. At this point, I’m not so certain that Klitschko, 32, will be able to win back many of the fans he lost in his last fight, a dull 12-round unanimous decision over Sultan Ibragimov on February 23rd) even if he stops Thompson very quickly in the bout. So much damage was done in Klitschko’s last fight, in which he looked almost petrified to throw a right hand against the light-hitting Ibragimov, and ended up winning on a decision by using exclusively his jab. 
By Erik Schmidt: Yesterday in Hamburg, Germany, at IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s press conference for this Saturday’s bout with Tony Thompson, a large double-decker bus rolled up to the meeting, filled with Russian models, and a large sign outside of the bus saying “Klitschko – I want you,” along with a recorded message from Klitschko’s IBF # 1 contender Alexander Povetkin, telling Klitschko not to lose on Saturday to Thompson, because Klitschko still owes him a fight. The idea of the bus and the models was done on behalf of Povetkin, who has been waiting for a title shot against Klitschko since defeating American heavyweight Eddie Chambers in a 12-round unanimous decision on January 26th, in the IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator bout in Berlin, Germany. 
By Eric Thomas: In the latest boxing news, former cruiserweight champion David Haye (21-1, 20 KOs) is rumored to be fighting former WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev (34-6, 26 KOs) on October 18th at the O2 Arena (Millenium Dome), Greenwich, in London. If this turns out to be true, it would be a tremendously bold move by Haye, considering that Maskaev, 39, a powerful puncher, is still quite good despite his advanced age and only recently did he lose his WBC heavyweight title in a 6th round stoppage to Nigerian Samuel Peter in March. Haye, 27, had been previously saying that he wanted to get a big-named opponent for his first bout as a heavyweight, and that he wasn’t going to mess around and fight one of the “fat slobs” in the division. As always, if this news turns out to be true, Haye would be doing exactly as he’s done in the past, making bold statements, then backing it up by going out and doing precisely what he said he was going to do. 
By Aaron Klein: It took only one fight, a dull, uninspiring 12-round unanimous decision over Sultan Ibragimov, which appeared to erase three good years of performances in a single night for IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs). This Saturday night, Wladimir hopes to quiet his critics with an impressive win over challenger Tony Thompson (31-1, 19 KOs) at the Color Line Arena, Altona, in Hamburg, Germany.
By William MacKay: If IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs) is expecting his challenger Tony Thompson (31-1, 19 KOs) to sit back and fight him in a jab contest I think he’s sadly mistaken, and in for a much tougher fight than he expected. Thompson, 6’5″ 246 lbs with an 81″ reach, is an excellent puncher, especially at close range where he can use his hooks and uppercuts, and pound his opponents into submission. He may use his jab on the outside, but he often uses it more seldom than you’d think he would, focusing more on getting in close proximity to his opponents and beating them around the head and midsection with constant hooks and uppercuts.