By Keith Idec
He doesn’t understand English, but Albert Sosnowski knows what boxing fans and media members are saying about him in the United States, where he suffered a dubious defeat less than two years ago, and in England, where the Polish-born boxer lives.
The consensus is that this obscure heavyweight contender has absolutely no chance of upsetting Vitali Klitschko today in their 12-round fight for Klitschko’s WBC title in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Several Internet sports books have listed Sosnowski as the 21st century’s Buster Douglas, a 40-1 underdog against the 6-foot-7, 247-pound Klitschko, who has dominated four opponents since resuming his injury-ravaged career in October 2008.
“I’ve heard the voices saying I have no chance,” Sosnowski said, “but it really doesn’t matter because the only people I’m listening to are my trainers, my family, my girlfriend and, of course, my manager. They believe in me, so whatever is being said about me outside [that circle] makes no difference. I am happy and we all believe we will have a chance to win.”
Little about their histories suggests Sosnowski can make this fight remotely competitive, much less win it. The 31-year-old Sosnowski promises, though, that unlike American Kevin Johnson, Klitschko’s last opponent, he will make an honest effort to dethrone Klitschko.
Johnson (22-1-1, 9 KOs) seemed determined to survive 12 rounds more than anything Dec. 12, when Klitschko dominated him en route to a dull unanimous decision win in Berne, Switzerland. Only one judge scored Johnson the winner of a single round that night.
Nigeria’s Samuel Peter (34-3, 27 KOs) and Cuba’s Juan Carlos Gomez (46-2, 36 KOs) also drew criticism for their half-hearted efforts against Klitschko in October 2008 and March 2009, respectively.
“I am not going to lose the fight like those guys lost the fights,” Sosnowski said. “You could make the assumption that those guys lost the fights even before they stepped in the ring. I will not do that.”
Attacking Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs) might earn Sosnowski some style points, but it is hard to overlook his disadvantages in height (nearly five inches), weight (22½ pounds), caliber of opposition, power and skill.
The muscular Sosnowski has a good record (45-2-1, 27 KOs), but he is 2-1-1 over the past two years and just four fights removed from light-punching journeyman Zuri Lawrence scoring an eight-round shutout against him in Brooklyn, N.Y. Lawrence (24-15-4, 1 NC) beat Sosnowski 80-72 on all three scorecards in their August 2008 fight.
Sosnowski bounced back to stop a deteriorated Danny Williams in the eighth round of his next fight, but by then Williams (41-9, 31 KOs, 1 NC) hardly resembled the brave British contender that knocked out Mike Tyson nearly six years ago in Louisville, Ky. Williams was never really the same after Klitschko annihilated him in Las Vegas, right after Williams upset Tyson.
Then Sosnowski drew with unbeaten Italian Francesco Pianeta (20-0-1, 12 KOs) in a 12-rounder, before beating another Italian, Paolo Vidoz (26-8, 15 KOs), by unanimous decision to win the European Union heavyweight title.
A resident of Brentwood, England, Sosnowski was prepared to defend his European title against England’s Audley Harrison (27-4, 20 KOs), the much-maligned former Olympian. But when his manager, Krzystof Zbarski, informed Sosnowski that Klitschko was willing to make an optional title defense against him, he didn’t hesitate to accept the fight.
“I know Albert Sosnowski is a young guy, very hungry,” Klitschko, 38, said. “He’s tough. He has nothing to lose. This is a huge opportunity for him to win a world title. This will not be an easy fight against him.”
To Klitschko’s credit, he has never fought down to his level of opposition. He should be believed when he says he isn’t overlooking Sosnowski, toward higher-profile fights against 7-foot Russian Nikolai Valuev (50-2, 34 KOs, 1 NC), David Haye (24-1, 22 KOs) or a more popular Polish contender, Tomasz Adamek (41-1, 27 KOs).
It seems more likely that Klitschko’s younger brother, IBF/WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko, will get a shot at silencing the trash-talking Haye in a unification fight. And promoter Don King’s monetary demands priced Valuev, a former WBA champion, out of a fight against Vitali Klitschko this spring.
That’s part of what makes it difficult to justifiably criticize Klitschko for fighting Sosnowski.
Fights against Haye, Valuev and, to a lesser extent, Adamek couldn’t be made for Saturday. He couldn’t make a mandatory defense, either, because the WBC has ordered Valuev to fight unbeaten Cuban Odlanier Solis (16-0, 12 KOs) to determine its No. 1 contender, all while previous No. 1 contender Ray Austin (28-4-4, 18 KOs) insists that the WBC illegally displaced him from the top spot after he filed for bankruptcy.
Those positioned between the second-rated Valuev and the 11th-ranked Sosnowski either have their sights set on different fights for titles, have already been beaten by Klitschko or are no more deserving of a title shot than Sosnowski.
Moreover, it appears as if the Klitschko brothers can fight just about anyone and fill arenas or stadiums in Germany.
A capacity crowd of roughly 61,000 is expected to fill Veltins Arena today to watch what is generally regarded as a mismatch of epic proportions. Drawing great at the gate, combined with the handsome sums the Klitschkos generate in European television revenue, allows them to take fights neither HBO nor Showtime are willing to buy to televise to American audiences.
Fight fans in the United States will have to pay $24.95 to watch a four-fight pay-per-view broadcast that’ll feature the Klitschko-Sosnowski bout in the main event today. That telecast is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. EDT.
Klitschko claims it’ll be worth watching, while Sosnowski declared that he sees holes in Klitschko’s game that have left him more confident than those obnoxiously long odds indicate he should feel.
“He fights in a very unorthodox way,” Sosnowski said. “He’s going to be open for punches after he punches. It gives me some idea of what I want to do. Some of the defensive liabilities, I would like to exploit. But, of course, I have to be aware of his punches with both hands. He’s a guy who can knock you out with his left and right hands.”
Sosnowski has been knocked out once, in his 20th pro bout by unknown Canadian Arthur Cook (14-5-2, 5 KOs). The Warsaw native hasn’t been knocked out in the nine years since Cook flattened him in the ninth round, so Sosnowski isn’t intimidated by the heavy-handed Klitschko.
“It’s the heavyweight division,” Sosnowski said, “and Vitali Klitschko is just a man, just like me.”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com.
