On April 16, 2010, Thompson faced former WBA world heavyweight title challenger Owen Beck, who was coming off of a 10th-round TKO loss to then-unbeaten Manuel Charr. The bout took place at The New Daisy Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, after Beck's licence was revoked by several other commissions due to issues with his eyes, and was aired on ESPN2 as part of the "Friday Night Fights" series. Thompson knocked Beck down late in the first round after landing a right hand behind the ear, and proceeded to hurt Beck several times in the fight before Beck's corner threw in the towel in the fourth round, preventing battered and bruised Beck from continuing absorbing more punishment.