On August 31, 2002 Thompson was scheduled to face hard-hitting Ron Guerrero, who was looking to regain his stock after back-to-back losses to Attila Levin and Jeremy Williams. The fight was scheduled for five rounds. Thompson was declared the winner by unanimous decision (UD), with scores 50–45, 49–46 and 50–45. On October 20, 2002, Thompson faced another notable opponent, an experienced journeyman Zuri Lawrence. Lawrence was on a six-fight winning streak, coming off of an upset victory over undefeated Italian prospect Paolo Vidoz. Thompson won the bout by seventh-round TKO.