On March 27, 2004, Thompson faced undefeated Cuban heavyweight Yanqui Díaz in a fight scheduled for eight rounds. With a record of 8–0 with 6 KOs, Díaz was a highly regarded prospect due to his long and decorated amateur career, with prominent boxing manager Wes Wolfe predicting a bright future for Díaz in the heavyweight division, expecting him to become "a superstar among the Cubans". Thompson handed Díaz his first professional career loss, winning the bout by a wide unanimous decision, with scores 78–72, 77–73 and 79–71. Shortly after, Thompson agreed to face former world title challenger Vaughn Bean on September 11, 2004. It was Thompson's second bout that took place outside of the United States. 30-year old Bean, mostly known for his competitive bouts against Evander Holyfield and Michael Moorer and having been only stopped by Vitali Klitschko, had won 13 of his last 14 fights against mostly lackluster opposition coming into the bout, and was described by some observers as "fringe contender". The bout lasted full ten rounds, with Thompson being declared the winner by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 97–93 (twice) and 96–94. At the conclusion of 2004, Thompson entered the BoxRec heavyweight rankings at No.9.