Wladimir Klitschko stops Tony Thompson in 6 with efficient execution
execution
wladimir klitschko stop tony thompson 6 efficient execution
Wladimir Klitschko stops Tony Thompson in 6 with efficient <m> execution </m>
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Article posted on 08 . 07 . 2012
Wladimir Klitschko stops Tony Thompson in 6 with efficient <m> execution </m>
Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko once again displayed his dominance by scoring a sixth round stoppage against American contender Tony Thompson .
Klitschko utilized good ring smarts and superior punching power to systematically break Thompson down .
The first round started cautiously with both fighters becoming reacquainted with each other in a tentative feeling out process .
Tony was exhibiting his trademark awkward movement and Wladimir was measuring him with the left rangefinder .
It was a relatively even round without much action , but Klitschko landed the two best shots of the round even if Tony threw a little more .
Thompson tried jumping on Wladimir to start the second but the champion was prepared .
Klitschko followed this with a nice right hand followed by a short crisp combination .
Later in the round another Klitschko right snuck in , and then a series of big rights backed the challenger into the ropes .
Thompson was wrestled down to the canvas a couple of times in this stanza , and Wlad ’ s superior strength was evident .
Klitschko was patient and measured , and his approach was paying off in round two .
In between rounds Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward told Klitschko he was mentally wearing Thompson down with pressure , and this certainly appeared to be the case .
In round three Klitschko was again using his left hand to block jabs and establish range .
Klitschko was looking almost exclusively for right hands , and was not using the authoritative jab we are accustomed to seeing because of Thompson ’ s awkwardness .
Thompson was throwing jabs that were mostly being blocked or missing the mark .
While it was obvious Thompson was having success in neutralizing Wlad's jab , he was also being peppered with Klitschko right hands that were inflicting far more damage than anything Thompson was throwing .
Wladimir finally landed a solid jab almost halfway through the round , but his right hand was still the story of the fight .
Thompson landed a decent left later in the round , but Klitschko was too elusive for him for the most part .
It was another clear round for the champion .
The fourth round was more of the same .
The action was highlighted by a thudding right and a well timed combination from the champion .
Before the start of the fifth , Steward urged Wladimir to throw more jabs and to spend less time waiting in between attacks .
As has been the case many times in the past , Klitschko responded to Steward ’ s instructions and executed with workmanlike precision .
He started landing the jab more , and this enabled him to score with a booming right hand that sent Thompson crashing to the canvas .
Tony rose to his feet and the action resumed with about 20 seconds left .
The challenger held on to survive , but this was perhaps the beginning of the end .
Thompson came out to start the sixth and seemed to have regained his equilibrium .
He was bouncing around , reacting to Klitschko ’ s feints , and mostly retreating in a defensive posture .
As the round progressed he was trying to fling the jab out , but Klitschko was slowly measuring him up , cool as an assassin .
Klitschko began throwing the infrequent jab and landing more big rights .
Thompson was trying his best to survive , but then a vicious two - handed assault sent Thompson down for the second time .
To his credit , he managed to rise to his feet , but the referee then waved it off .
This was Klitschko ’ s second victory over Thompson , and with it he improves to 58 - 3 with 51 wins coming by way of knockout .
Slowly but surely , Wladimir Klitschko is beginning to establish a strong legacy for himself .
He may not always have the most crowd pleasing style , but he is intelligent , powerful , consistent , and extremely efficient at executing his game plan .
The EPIX broadcast of the match made note of the following all - time heavyweight records in title fights :
HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHTS
Joe Louis 26 - 1
Muhammad Ali 22 - 3
Larry Holmes 21 - 5
Wladimir Klitschko 19 - 2
Lennox Lewis 15 - 2 - 1
Now of course this includes Klitschko ’ s title reign as WBO champion as well as his current reign which began when he captured the IBF strap from Chris Byrd .
Many critics will note that the WBO was not universally recognized in high regard at the time Klitschko held that title .
Even still , however , Klitschko has won 16 fights in a row since losing to Lamon Brewster in April 2004 , and he was won 13 title fights in a row since his April 2006 victory over Byrd .
Beyond that , he has rarely lost a round during that impressive stretch .
Given the current state of the heavyweight landscape , it is not inconceivable that Klitschko may well top that list before all is said and done .