The old adage in baseball is that a team can never have too much pitching.  Boxing promoter Dan Goossen, in announcing the recent addition of Tony “The Tiger” Thompson to Goossen Tutor’s growing stable of talented fighters is establishing a similar credo in his sport:  “You can never have too many good heavyweights.”

 

Thompson (26-1, 16 KOs) will make his 3rd start under the Goossen Tutor Promotions banner this coming Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on the undercard of the highly-anticipated showdown between WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman and James “Lights Out” Toney to be televised on HBO.

 

“We are excited to see Tony Thompson’s progress in such a short period of time,” Goossen asserted.  “I am looking forward to watching “The Tiger” show his stripes the same night that James Toney puts the lights out on the championship reign of Hasim Rahman.”

 

The hard-punching southpaw from Silver Spring, MD, will be seeking his 23rd consecutive win in a scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout against Philadelphia’s Maurice Wheeler (10-4-1, 1 KO), also a southpaw.

 

Trained by Tom Browner and Barry Hunter, Thompson packed a solid 253 ¾ pounds on his 6-5 ½ frame in his last bout in January – a fourth-round TKO over then once-beaten Brandon Cabell in Maryland to win the vacant Maryland State Heavyweight Title.  He has also captured wins over the likes of familiar names Zuri Lawrence and Vaughn Bean.  His only loss was to then-unbeaten Eric Kirkland in Massachusetts in his fifth pro fight.

 

Thompson’s opponent Saturday night, Wheeler, has won his last four bouts and nine of his last ten.  His last two wins came against Najee Shaheed (via split decision last November and a unanimous decision in their rematch last month).  

 

In signing on with Goossen Tutor, Thompson bolsters a heavyweight stable which, in addition to Toney, includes unbeaten prospects Chris Arreola, Travis Walker and Teke Oruh; once-beaten Jason Gavern, Rafael Butler and Malcolm Tann; and the more established likes of Kirk Johnson, Javier Mora, Audley Harrison, Dominick Guinn, Vassiliy Jirov and Cedric Boswell.

 

“The addition of Tony Thompson provides Goossen Tutor with another building block toward our goal of boxing’s most coveted division for many years to come,” Goossen concluded.