Klitschko, the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion, beat the American in 2008 with an 11th round stoppage after dominating the fight.

And 40-year-old Thompson has hardly been proactive in his desire to return to the top echelon, winning just five fights in the intervening four years - all via stoppage against sub-standard opposition.

Even so, the veteran represents a step up on Klitschko's most recent opponents - with former cruiserweights David Haye and Jean-Marc Mormeck failing to trouble the giant Ukrainian.

And Thompson did pose Klitchsko some problems in their first contest - 'The Tiger's height (6ft 5in) causing the champion to box more conservatively than ever.

Chris Arreola, who has re-dedicated himself after defeats to Vitali Klitschko and Tomasz Adamek, is reported to be next in line for Klitschko jnr later in the year.