Klitschko retains title

Published on Sunday 13 July 2008 22:49

LOOKING battered after his 11th-round knockout victory, Vladimir Klitschko wore the look of a relieved man after defending his IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against Tony Thompson in Berlin.

The Hamburg-based Ukrainian floored his tiring American opponent in the penultimate round on Saturday but finished the fight nursing a black and blue left eye and a swollen right eyelid.

"I haven't had a black eye in a long time," the 32-year-old Klitschko told RTL television after retaining his International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation titles.

"It's part of boxing. It's better to have a black eye than be depressed. I look like a fighter now."

Thompson, the 36-year-old challenger, buried his head in the ropes and wept after the defeat and said: "I knew I pretty much had just one shot and that was to catch him clean.

"That's what I was trying to do towards the end of the fight. But he got me first. I'm not used to losing. It hurt."