BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Wladimir Klitschko stopped Tony Thompson in the sixth round to retain his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight title belts on Saturday.
Klitschko put Thompson on the canvas with a big right hand near the end of the fifth round at Stade de Suisse, and the 40-year-old American never recovered.
The Ukrainian champion dropped Thompson again in the sixth, and referee Sam Williams gave the challenger a standing count before stopping the fight.
Klitschko finished the fight five rounds sooner than when knocking out Thompson in the 11th of their first title fight in 2008.
The 36-year-old champion Klitschko improved to 58-3 (51 KO).
Thompson, who was the mandatory challenger nominated by the IBF, fell to 36-3 (24 KO).
