Thompson beats Solis – again!

Promoter Ahmet Oner: “Solis is done! He is a shame for Cuban boxing!”

Heavyweight veteran Tony “Tiger” Thompson kept his word by beating former Cuban amateur standout Odlanier Solis for the second time in their rematch Friday night in Antalya (Turkey). One year after winning a close split decision against “La Sombra” the 43-year-old two time world title challenger outworked Solis with his jab and forced the 2004 Olympic gold medalist to quit in the ninth round.
Promoter Ahmet Oner who also worked in Solis corner was bitterly disappointed with the Cuban’s performance. “I have wasted a lot of time, nerves and money on Solis. He has all the talent in the world but he just blew it”, says Oner. “I cannot believe how bad he looked today. He is a shame for Cuban boxing. The guy is done. And I’m done with him. He’s still under contract with me but today he made the step from contender to journey man. I will throw him to the wolves and feed every young and hungry prospect with him who is ready to pay some money.”
While he was furious at Solis, Oner congratulated Thompson to his win. “Tony looked good and got the job done”, adds Oner. “I have options on him and I am sure that I will be able to land some more big fights for him. He will jump up in the ratings. There are some guys up there constantly looking for trouble. I think Tony still is a serious thread to numerous contenders. I don’t know what Manuel Charr has lined up but he keeps on calling out everybody. That might be an interesting option. We’ll see what’s next.”
Thompson himself was obviously very happy with his performance. “I knew I could do, I knew I would do it, I told everybody – and I delivered”, states the “Tiger”. “I thank Ahmet for the opportunity and I thank my team and the people who believed in me for their support. I’m looking forward to whatever comes along. I’m still here. And I’m still ready for greatness.”

In the co-feature promising Turkish prospect Avni Yildirim scored an impressive third round TKO against George Beroshvili from Georgia to claim the vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Championship. “Avni could be the next big thing, he reminds me of a young Gennady Golovkin”, says Oner. “Of course, he still has a long way to go but the way he took care of business against a good and experienced opponent in his third pro fight was more than impressive. I am looking forward to seeing more from him.”

In the third title fight of the night Aziz Karaoglu defended his WBC Mediterranean cruiserweight title against Maurizio Lovaglio from Italy. After ten action packed and hard fought rounds in which both guys recovered from knockdowns, Karaoglu got the unanimous decision win (97-91, 95-93, 95-92).