Vitali Klitschko v Albert Sosnowski
Hello and welcome to Veltins Arena, do you have an appointment with “Dr Ironfist”?
Albert Sosnowski has. He’s booked into Vitali Klitschko’s surgery on Saturday and will undergo an operation to attach the WBC heavyweight championship to his waste. However it is currently lodged securely in the Ukrainian’s hands, therefore this will be no straight-forward procedure.
The Pole was due to fight Audley Harrison, but luckily for him he managed to dodge that bullet and now must merely contend with The Doctor. I bet Sosnowski is counting his lucky stars he doesn’t have to step in the ring with “A-force”.
Of course we know what to expect from Klitschko, jab-jab-jab-jab-jab then BOOM with the right. It’s effective, you have to hand him that, but doesn’t make the most thrilling spectacle.
Obviously it takes two to make a match though and Sosnowski is certainly a step-up in standard from Kevin Johnson, so he should therefore provide a sterner test and a make for a more interesting bout.
Going into this fight Klitschko has said that he is wary of Sosnowski, but realistically “The Dragon” is odds on to get his wings clipped tomorrow night. A fight with David Haye still seems some way off so it’s slim-pickings in the unlimited weight class at the moment, and as a result it is understandable throwing in Sosnowski, who was European champion before vacating to take this fight but it’s not exactly the most mouth-watering of ties on paper.
So what chances are there of an upset? Well the Dragon’s got as good a chance as anyone basically. Sosnowski comes forward all day long and is always in peak condition, his 27 knockouts show that he can breathe fire and he won’t be afraid of taking things to the inside. His jab doesn’t exactly rocket out, but it does hold a mighty wack.
Klitschko’s last outing with Johnson was a complete farce. The American may as well have taken on Usain Bolt because he was much better at running than he was at boxing. He stayed on the outskirts of the ring and just seemed to try and go the distance, no interest in trying to win and lost every round in the process. Sosnowski will actually come at Klitschko which might rattle the big man, like poking a bear with a big stick.
However the Polish heavyweight is going to need a pretty good game plan to survive that jab, which has been the scourge of the heavyweights for so long. Sosnowski is eight years younger than the champ and he will need to use his youthfulness to breeze around the ring and try and evade it, but then you risk doing a Johnson. Instead expect Sosnowski to go in tight and try to defuse the jab by being too close for it to land effectively. Probably the most effective way to defend against Klitschko is to attack and try and get him to change up his tactics by asking questions.
Realistically if Klitschko gives “old lefty” a run-out, its game over. Also the big man has a chin made out of granite so it’s unlikely the Pole will floor him, unless he gets lucky with a bomb the big shots might not be a viable option. If Sosnowski was more of a mover it might be worth trying to duck inside and work Klitschko’s body, then dash out for a breather. Although Sosnowski is not the slowest heavyweight ever, he’s not the speediest in either hands or feet either, so this tactic would probably just enrage the beast and result in a brutal KO.
It should by no means be an easy night for the gigantic heavyweight champion; Sosnowski is all heart and will come at Dr Ironfist with all he’s got, which makes a refreshing change to things.
However, it’s hard to look past a Klitschko win; the big-jabbing champ has too much for The Dragon but it should at least be a more exciting fight than some of the Ukrainian’s other ones lately.
So it looks unlikely that this doctor is not going to be struck off quite yet, but he might be about to embark in his toughest operation for a long time.
Prediction: Klitschko 9th-12th round KO
I think Klitschko will be tested tomorrow more than has been for a while because Sosnowski isn’t here just to make up the numbers.
However the big Ukrainian will have too much for the challenger, if he gets that jab going in the early rounds and starts landing the huge right as the fight wears on, Sosnowski has little chance.
With any contender prepared to put himself on the line the way Sosnowski is, there’s always a chance of an upset. However it would be unlikely Klitschko will crumble and I’d expect him to jab his way to a late knockout.
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