Klitschko retains heavyweight crown
Sunday, 13 July 2008 10:25Wladimir Klitschko retained his IBF and WBO heavyweight titles with an 11th-round knockout of American Tony Thompson in Hamburg on Saturday night.
The Ukrainian knocked his opponent down and out after one minute 38 seconds of the 11th round.
Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) landed a vicious right to the chin that ended the fight in spectacular fashion as Thompson (31-2, 19 KOs) was counted out by the referee.
The American had already found himself in trouble in the second round when Klitschko powered in a string of his heavy right hands, forcing the 36-year-old into the corner.
An accidental clash of heads then battered both fighters' faces, but thanks to good work from their corners during the break, the cuts were quickly taken care of.
Klitschko landed another right in the third and surprised his opponent with a quick left hook in the fourth, while Thompson failed to make any impact.
He looked a bit more active in the fifth, trying to utilise his southpaw left, but it did little to impress the Ukrainian, who remained well in control.
There was more action in the sixth, with Thompson landing a left-right combination - only for Klitschko to up his workrate and connect himself.
Thompson fired in a southpaw left but was then forced into the ropes following a heavy right from Klitschko.
Thompson, who was not throwing many shots, surprised the champion with a left in the eighth but failed to follow it up.
Klitschko dominated the rest of the round and hit with a strong right shortly before the end.
The local hero remained on the front foot in the next rounds but failed to inflict significant damage, with Thompson's defence holding up.
Klitschko's constant pressure eventually told as Thompson tired noticeably towards the end.
At the end of the 10th, he stumbled after both fighters clinched, and it took him a while to get back up to his feet.
The bell sounded after he was back up, but Klitschko came out gunning in the 11th, chasing his opponent through the ring.
A vicious right to the chin eventually ended the one-sided issue after 1:38 in the penultimate round.
