Vitali Klitschko (42-2, 39 KOs) easily made the sixth defense of his current title reign against previously unbeaten mandatory challenger Odlanier Solis (17-1, 12 KOs). The bout was stopped due to an injury to Solis at 3:00 of the first round disappointing a sell-out crowd of 19,000+ at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany. After Solis had made a competitive showing for the better part of the round, Klitschko connected with a short right hand to the temple that wobbled the 2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist, causing him to twist a knee and go down. He was given a count by referee Guadalupe Garcia and regained his feet with the help of the ropes but was unable to continue.
After the fight, Klitschko insisted he hit Solis with a clean punch, whereas Solis attributed the stoppage completely to the injury.