Boxing fans had to wait for a long time to finally see the rematch between US ring veteran Tony Thompson and former Cuban amateur standout Odlanier Solis.
This Friday (
Feb. 27th) Thompson and Solis will finally step into the ring in Antalya, Turkey. Both fighters not only arrived on the site but also went over the scale
on Thursday afternoon. Thompson weighed in at 261 lbs. (118 kg) while Solis brought 272 lbs. (123 kg) to the scale.
On March 22nd 2014 “La Sombra” Solis was looking to get in line for another shot at the world heavyweight championship by beating the American gatekeeper. But the mission failed when Thompson, a two time world title challenger against Wladimir Klitschko, shocked Solis and got a well deserved split decision win. The “Tiger” proved to the world that he can still bite at the age of 42. One year later – and after numerous postponements – Solis and Thompson meet again in a long anticipated rematch. Of course, the Cuban wants to make up for the loss instead of being surprised by Thompson a second time.
“That loss still hurts”, says “La Sombra”. “I am very happy that I finally get the chance to get back at him.” But Thompson obviously knows how to beat the Cuban. “I will do exactly what I did last time – kick his a**”, states the American. Promoter Ahmet Oner is convinced that the winner of the bout will fight for the world championship soon. “Both guys are rated in the top 15 by the WBC. The winner will advance to a top spot while the loser might as well call it a career.”
Besides a very high rating the winner of the bout will be awarded with the WBC Continental Americas Championship. Deontay Wilder just showed that this belt can be the stepping stone to winning the world title. Wilder held the Continental title until October 2013 before beating Bermane Stiverne in January to become heavyweight champion of the world.
The televised undercard features two more fights for regional WBC titles. Promising Turkish prospect Avni Yildirim will try to win his first pro title when he takes on George Beroshvili from Georgia for the WBC Youth Intercontinental Championship. Yildirim has been an outstanding amateur representing Turkey at European and World Championships. But claiming his first pro title won’t be easy because his opponent Beroshvili has already fought for Youth world championships twice and went the distance with strong German Tyron Zeuge as well as Tim-Robin Lihaug from Norway.
In addition to that WBC Mediterranean Cruiserweight Champion will try to defend his title against Italian champion Maurizio Lovaglio. All three title bouts will be broadcasted live on www.360fights.com/event/solis-vs-thompson/ starting at 19:00h Central European time.
Attached: Pictures of today’s weigh-in (free for use)
