Written by DCist Contributor Charles Gray
As a boxer, Washington D.C. native Tony “The Tiger” Thompson suffers from a number of unpardonable sins. First, he fights left handed. In an effort avoid the “southpaw jinx,” most boxers decide not to fight lefties. Second, the adjectives most often used to describe Thompson’s fighting style are “awkward” and “defensive.” The old boxing adage is that styles make fights — the public is hardly clamoring for an awkward defensive bout. So despite a sterling record of 30-1, with 18 victories by knockout and a WBO ranking of 3, The Tiger has been unable to secure a title shot or big money fight that he seems to deserve. At the age of 35, it looks like time may be running out for him.
That is why Thompson went to Germany this weekend to fight the local Luan Krasniqi in a WBO Heavyweight Title Eliminator. The winner of the fight is given a guaranteed title shot. At the age of 36, Krasniqi is also entering the end of his career. And so two boxers at the end of their careers entered the ring on Saturday night at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Germany, for what may be their last chance for a title and a big payday.
Krasniqi started strong, landing a solid right hand in the first round. While Thompson fought back, Krasniqi controlled the round, and was the more energetic boxer. The first round would be the only round that Krasniqi would win. At the beginning of the second round, Thompson took control of the fight by using his reach and jab to keep Krasniqi on the defensive, and superior footwork and positioning to keep the German against the ropes or in the corner. What few flurries Krasniqi could muster didn’t get through Thompson’s defenses. Krasniqi managed to rally in the third round, but became passive in the fourth. After that round, the referee, Mark Nelson, warned Krasniqi to “start defending yourself.” Thompson dominated the fifth round, and Krasniqi failed to heed the referee’s advise. What is worse, Krasniqi also stopped fighting back, which is never a good sign from a boxer. Nelson, seeing where the fight was going, stopped the bout with 21 seconds left in the fifth round, before Krasniqi had sustained any serious injuries. Gary at Boxing Along the Beltway has video of the fight up at his site.
With the victory, Thompson becomes the number one WBO contender, and will most likely face the winner of the unification fight between WBO champions Sultan Ibragimov and Ruslan Chagaev. This will be an excellent opportunity for the D.C. native, giving Thompson a chance for two of the four major heavyweight titles.
Image from RealPlaymakers
