He's Fighting, for His Life

Ask Thompson how many children he has, and he'll tell you seven -- though only six are biologically related.

When he retires from boxing, he hopes to become a "soccer dad," supporting his children in a way he never experienced.

"I want to run around with my kids and help them realize the way and support them in their way," Thompson said. "I want to be there to let them know, they got a support system."

Training, the Hard Way

McGirt's Elite Boxing Gym in Vero Beach offers no air circulation, much less air conditioning. Hidden in a warehouse behind an office park, it's a gym of utility, not luxury. The walls are white-painted cinder block, lined with promotional posters of past fights. On the concrete floor rests the boxing ring's canvas, stained with sweat, dirt and dust.

The gym filled quickly on a Monday morning, with boxers pummeling speed bags, jumping rope and crunching abs to rap music. After sparring 10 rounds in 91-degree heat, a sweat-drenched Thompson lowered his 6-foot-4 1/2 , 240-pound frame into a plastic chair.

Thompson said he didn't like the mattress in his rental home and spent the night before rolling in bed after retiring to his bedroom at halftime of an NBA playoff game. He displayed little fatigue in his workout, which started with shadowboxing in front of a mirror. After sparring, he moved noticeably slower, measuring each step.

His family awaits his return. At his Fort Washington home in a tree-lined development at the tip of a cul-de-sac, one of three air conditioning units is broken. The dishwasher and washing machine have stopped working. The electricity won't run in part of the house, where three of his children still live. Sydnee, who grew up with both parents and went to a Catholic school, college and graduate school, wants everything fixed. Tony said she'll have to wait until the check clears from the fight.

The cost is not the issue. Sydnee earns an income as a speech pathologist. Instead, it's differing priorities.

"He didn't come from a lot," Sydnee said. "The washing machine not working is trivial to him. For me, it's like, 'Oh my God, the washing machine is not working!' " Thompson predicts he'll see about one-third of his $1 million purse after German taxes. The paycheck will go to his kids, the maintenance of his house and outstanding loans.

"How much is [Klitschko] willing to give it, compared to how much am I willing to give it to get air conditioning in my house in July?" Thompson said. "I'm willing to give it all."

Thompson says that when he enters the boxing ring, the fight usually isn't even on his mind. He says he's thinking about his kids, hoping they are in bed and not staying up too late to watch the fight. He's wondering why he didn't try harder in school so he wouldn't have to beat up someone to earn a paycheck.

But this Saturday night, Thompson said, he'll also be thinking about how he wouldn't change a thing.

"You spend too much time thinking about the things you didn't do instead of the things you should do," he said. "I can do this. And for my family, I should do this. And for everybody, I will do this."