Tony Thompson BOXING REVENGE PLAN: Wladimir Klitschko Rematch
(Publisher Note: This interview was conducted before Eddie Chambers pulled out with a back injury yesterday.)
Exclusive Interview by Marc Anthony
“They are giving us an opportunity to re-establish the heavyweight division.”– Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson, 36-2, 24 KO’s, one of the top heavyweight fighters in the US started his pro career in 2000. Throughout that journey, he has faced 38 opponents and 24 were stopped, 12 lost to Tony by decision and only 2 were able to defeat the 6’5” boxer. In 2008, he faced Wladimir Klitschko, and although losing, many have said Tony, by far, had the best performance against the king of the glamour division in recent memory.
Since that fight he has stopped every single opponent put in front of him. Now he is set to face another great fighter, Eddie Chambers, who by chance is a good friend of Tony and have helped each other prepare for fights in the past. If history serves correct, when two people who are friends fight against each other, those fights turn out to be very entertaining.
This fight is an IBF title eliminator: ShoSports on Showtime appears to be televising this fight for Fri Oct 28, 11PM ET/PT also Tickets are priced at $75 and $50 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, and the Bally’s.
MA: Scheduled to fight Eddie Chambers on Oct 28, being friends is it going be a little bit difficult?
It might be a little difficult, but it will be an opportunity for me and a friend to get in the championship hunt. Unfortunately, well fortunately we are friends but we are competitors. So, that will make it exciting.
MA: This is an IBF title eliminator; would this fight be the most important for your career?
Most definitely, it will get me back in the title picture. Of course, I will say it’s the most important fight of my career. I am about to be 40 years. I am not going have too many championship opportunities. I have to take full advantage of this fight.
MA: Interestingly enough, both of you have the same record. What can the fans expect for this fight, no feeling out process?
I am thinking that it’s going be one of the best heavyweight fights in a long time. Because we know each other, we are both in the same position in terms of trying to get back to a title fight. We both have a lot to prove in this game. I am thinking you are going see one of the best heavyweight fights you have seen in a long time.
MA: Many felt that you fought Wladimir a lot better than any heavyweight has for a long time. Would that be an accurate statement?
I don’t know. That’s for the fans and the boxing experts (so called experts to say). Only thing I know is I lost. I don’t care of having fought him the best. I lost… I didn’t get more for fighting him the best. I just got a loss. I want to avenge that.
MA: Any holes that you feel you can exploit a second time around?
I’ve always seen the holes. It’s not seeing the holes…its being able to execute the game plan over 12 rounds or however many rounds the fight goes. So I have always seen the holes. It’s up to me being able to execute better. Now, if you ask me if I am prepared to execute better? Hell yeah, I am prepared to execute better!
MA: Are you a fan of the NFL, do you watch the games?
Oh hell yeah!
MA: Is your team the Washington Redskins?
Of course!
MA: Is it true that you bowl also?
Oh yeah, I can bowl!
MA: Does your family watch you live or you don’t like to do it?
It’s something I don’t like to do because it takes my focus on what I got to do and puts my focus on my family sometimes that I need to separate myself from them when it’s time to fight. So I can obviously put my full focus into fighting but my wife goes she has been a big help to me in this game and also one of my biggest inspirations. So, she goes with me and she is the first person I look for when the fight is over. So I need her there.
MA: Are you superstitious when you get ready for a fight?
No I don’t have any superstitions. I have more of a routine but I don’t let things like superstitions cloud my mind. When it’s time to fight it’s time to fight.
MA: Camp going well, it’s been well documented you went in with a leg injury when you fought Wladimir, all taken care of?
Oh yeah, my team has done a great job surrounding me with great trainers and doctors to make sure I am able to get everything I can out of this old man’s body.
MA: It’s amazing that with our new technology seems people are able to fight longer, do you feel that’s the case?
Oh definitely it has to be true look what people are doing at advanced ages. Not just the big guys now. Usually the big guys can fight longer. But now the smaller guys are making a statement at an older age. Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Morales coming back, so yeah. Definitely a situation where technology and the guys taking care of their bodies, it’s not just technology. I don’t care how much technology you have. If you don’t take care of your body you won’t make it. I think that’s one of the things that saved me coming up even before I was a fighter. I was into health and working out and taking care of my body.
MA: Any final words Tony to RSR readers?
Like I have being telling everybody…I know this fight is going under the radar for people that only watch boxing during the big events. I will say stay tuned for this fight. This is going be a heavyweight fight for the network that purposely avoided the heavyweights. Now they are giving us an opportunity to re-establish the heavyweight division on the network. So stay tuned.
Tony Thompson
Nickname: “The Tiger”
Division: Heavywieght
Professional Record: 36-2-0, 24 KO’s
Date Opponent W-L-D Location Result
2011-05-27 Maurice Harris 24-14-2 Reno, US W TKO 3
2010-11-20 Paul Marinaccio 24-5-3 Atlantic City, US W TKO 4
2010-04-16 Owen Beck 29-4-0 Memphis, US W TKO 4
2009-12-05 Chazz Witherspoon 26-1-0 Atlantic City, US W TKO 9
2009-03-21 Adnan Serin 19-9-1 Stuttgart, DE W TKO 5
2008-07-12 Wladimir Klitschko 50-3-0 Altona, DE L KO 11
IBF Heavyweight Title
WBO Heavyweight Title
International Boxing Organization Heavyweight Title
2007-09-27 Cliff Couser 26-12-2 Lemoore, US W TKO 2
2007-07-14 Luan Krasniqi 30-2-1 Altona, DE W TKO 5
WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Title
2007-02-16 Timur Ibragimov 21-1-1 Beverly Hills, US W UD 10
WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Title
2006-06-28 Dominick Guinn 26-3-1 San Jose, US W UD 12
vacant WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Title
2006-03-18 Maurice Wheeler 10-4-1 Atlantic City, US W TKO 4
2006-01-26 Brandon Cabell 8-1-1 Glen Burnie, US W TKO 4
vacant USA Maryland State Heavyweight Title
2005-09-30 Willie Perryman 9-8-0 Brooks, US W KO 5
2004-09-11 Vaughn Bean 44-3-0 Montreal, CA W UD 10
2004-06-19 Agustin Corpus 10-14-3 Reno, US W TKO 2
2004-03-27 Yanqui Diaz 8-0-0 Stateline, US W UD 8
2004-03-06 Joe Lenhart 12-21-3 Verona, US W TKO 1
2003-12-09 Onebo Maxime 15-19-0 Pikesville, US W TKO 2
2003-08-22 Gilbert Martinez 15-5-1 Las Vegas, US W TKO 6
2003-03-07 James Gaines 16-6-0 Niagara Falls, CA W TKO 8
2002-10-20 Zuri Lawrence 18-7-3 Tacoma, US W TKO 7
2002-08-31 Ron Guerrero 15-5-2 Bridgehampton, US W UD 5
2002-07-20 Frankie Hines 16-118-5 Leesburg, US W TKO 1
2002-02-02 Marion Wilson 11-36-3 New Carrollton, US W UD 6
2001-11-11 Lincoln Luke 5-2-0 Elizabeth, US W TKO 2
2001-07-08 Jeremiah Johnson 6-1-1 Las Vegas, US W KO 1
2001-06-21 Scott Jones 7-9-3 Glen Burnie, US W UD 6
2001-05-20 Chester Hughes 9-0-0 Elizabeth, US W TKO 1
2001-03-17 James Johnson 3-5-1 Philadelphia, US W DQ 3
2001-01-27 Lee Alhassan 5-2-0 Atlantic City, US W TKO 1
2000-10-19 Derek Amos 13-16-0 Harrisburg, US W TKO 5
2000-09-21 Dana Dunston 3-0-0 Glen Burnie, US W KO 3
2000-08-26 Erick Kea 0-1-0 Upper Marlboro, US W TKO 1
2000-07-07 Eric Kirkland 6-0-0 Hyannis, US L UD 4
2000-06-22 Maurice Gray 5-6-0 Glen Burnie, US W UD 6
2000-05-11 Scott Jones 7-8-3 Glen Burnie, US W UD 4
2000-03-01 Robert Anderson 4-0-1 Woodlawn, US W UD 4
2000-01-27 DeSean Harper 2-0-0 Glen Burnie, US W MD 4
