Sosnowski shows Haye the way to beat Klitschko

Albert Sosnowski provided the clearest indication yet that David Haye could topple Vitali Klitschko, despite being comprehensively beaten by Vitali in his bold bid to capture the WBC heavyweight title at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on Saturday night. The Brentford-based Pole lost virtually every round before being knocked out in round ten but in pockets troubled Klitschko with his speed and lateral movement which is bound to encouraged Haye looking on.

At 6ft 2 ½ and just over 16 stone, Sosnowski, 45-3-1 (27), is almost identical in size and stature to Haye and give away 1 ½ stones and five inches in height to the towering Klitschko, 40-2 (38). Vitali, adopting his typical wide stance, seized the centre of the ring at the sound of the opening bell and jolted Sosnowski with left hooks early on as he stepped forward.

‘Big Albert’ refused to fold however and showed that he was that rare commodity in being a heavyweight title challenger who was actually attempting to win against a Klitschko brother. Despite being dominated in the early exchanges, Sosnowski’s lateral movement made it difficult for Vitali to nail him cleanly and Klitschko was made to miss on numerous occasions with follow-up right hands after initially catching Albert with his left.

Klitschko tried to feint in round three to encourage Sosnowski to commit himself but the Brentford-based Pole was wise to it and drew applause from the crowd after slipping Klitschko’s jab and countering him with a left hook. Growing in confidence, Albert elected to take the fight to Klitschko in round four and a left hook, right hook combination had Vitali thinking about defence for the first time in the fight.

Sosnowski provided further irritation to Klitschko in the fifth as he kept the giant Ukrainian at bay behind a double jab, a key weapon for Haye to employ if he ever steps into the ring against Vitali. Former European champion Sosnowski appeared heavier legged in the sixth following his exertions in the previous two sessions and was stunned by a left hook and a right hand from Klitschko who had regained control.

Albert tried to take the play away from the champion in round seven and his wild left and right hook swings left Klitschko wide eyed and scurrying backwards uncomfortably. Tellingly though, none of the challenger’s punches landed and Vitali finished the round on top and rocked Sosnowski back on his heels with a left hook.

Albert, with swelling under both eyes, continued to give a good account of himself and possibly did enough to edge the eighth after forcing Klitschko back with a right hand. Just when the contest seemed to be heading the distance, Vitali made his breakthrough in round nine. A series of right hands to the temple steadied Sosnowski who suddenly looked tired and flat-footed as he started to ship more punishment as a static target.

Undeterred from his pummelling, Albert audaciously rose both hands to the appreciative crowd as he wearily trudged back to his corner. The accumulation of Klitschko’s attacks eventually took their toll in the tenth. Two right hands wobbled Sosnowski who almost touched down and another right to the temple sent Albert down in his own corner. Referee Jay Nady didn’t bother to count as he ended Sosnowski’s spirited challenge with 37 seconds remaining in the round.

For all his dominance, this wasn’t a particularly impressive performance from Klitschko. He clearly struggled with Sosnowski’s speed and movement, was kept off-balance by the double-jab and appeared fatigued from the middle rounds after repeatedly missing with right hands. The 37-year-old also looked ragged and uncomfortable when forced on the back foot after becoming accustomed to having everything his own way in his previous title defences.

The key differential between Sosnowski and Haye, of course, is power. The Pole tends to throw punches in bunches whereas Haye possesses sledgehammer power in either hand backed by blinding speed and accuracy. One wonders if the outcome would have been different had it been Haye in the ring with Klitschko on Saturday and not Sosnowski.

Reigning WBA champion Haye is being cagey over his next move but afterwards Vitali revealed his next fight is likely to be against (WBA mandatory challenger) Ruslan Chagaev or Haye. It will be interesting to see over the coming weeks whether Vitali’s unconvincing performance against Sosnowski is enough to finally force David’s hand.