He went 8-0 before losing to Crawford Ashley by TKO in round 6 for the British Central Area light heavyweight title after taking a thumb to the eye.
After winning two mark-time fights, Thompson was matched against Ralf Rocchigiani in a bout for the vacant WBO cruiserweight title at the G-Mex Leisure Centre, Manchester in June 1995.
After returning with three wins, Thompson won the WBO cruiserweight title via decision over Ralf Rocchigiani in a rematch in Stadionsporthalle, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany in October 1997.
The BBC commentators on the night, Jim Neilly and Colin McMillan, were calling for Carl's retirement, saying he was finished, taking the beating needlessly, and that the fight should have been stopped.
Haye started fast and caught Thompson with constant barrages of power punches, coming close to forcing a stoppage at numerous points over the first few rounds.