The 42 year-old, who lost out to Kubrat Pulev in his last fight on the back of noticeably dominant performances against Briton David Price, was much sharper than Solis over the twelve rounds and did enough to warrant a unanimous nod on the cards in my view.
In the end, after the unshapely pair paced themselves in front of a sleepy Turkish crowd, Thompson was rightly handed a 115-113, 115-114, 112-116 triumph in Istanbul, although how the last judge managed to give Solis the win remains a mystery.
Solis, 33, was once lauded as a future world champion following a stellar amateur spell, but on Saturday’s evidence, ‘La Sombra’ will have to re-evaluate his next move in the top division as the Cuban struggled to keep pace with Thompson for the duration.
Washington-based Thompson, who has twice fallen short against current unified world champion Wladimir Klitschko, can now plot another potential run at a world title after recording his 39th win in 43 pro bouts.
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