By: Jim Amato

I made the mistake of staying up late last night to watch the heavyweight contest between prospects Tony ” Tiger ” Thompson and Tibor Igragimov ( brother of Sultan ). I expected a decent, competitive battle. Thompson had a good record and had defeated Dominick Guinn. Please don’t be too quick to write off Guinn who holds a legit win over Britain’s Audley Harrison. Thompson’s win over Guinn gave him some stature. Tibor’s only loss was a disappointing decision to Calvin Brock. Nevertheless Brock’s only loss has been to Wladimir Klitschko so Tibor’s loss couldn’t really take away too much credibility.

The Thompson-Ibragimov match was in a word, BORING !!! I understand that Thompson got a late start in boxing at age 27. Now at 35 he needs to make his move. On paper it was a good win. I gave Tony seven of ten rounds but I was far from impressed. He did what he had to do to win. He used his height and reach to get off first and pile up points. Ibragimov was just unable to get inside and work effectively. It was just a dull, uneventful fight, PERIOD.

I can not see Thompson being a major player in a weak heavyweight division. I think a good fight for him would be against fringe contender DeVarryl Williamson. They have similar styles but Thompson is physically bigger. Still Williamson has some pop in his right hand and it would be interesting to see someone test the Tiger’s chin.