The Sun: Audley vacates Euro Belt?

[oliverfennell]

i hope sosnowski can fight someone like rogan or sexton for the EBU title. he's a fit, brave, willing fighter, is the pole.

Brave and willing to fight absolute no marks for almost 50 fights (even losing to two of them) and eventually translating it into a world title shot (and no, I don't consider a 35yo Williams or 37yo Vidoz to be significant wins at world level).
That's not to say Audley deserves a shot any more, but Sosnowski has the most cynically puffed-up record in all of world boxing now that Butterbean and Faruq Saleem have retired. Just because he put in a fit and brave effort against Vitali doesn't change the fact that he's been a bottom-feeder for 95% of his career.

well, he isn't considered a "world level fighter" himself, is he? he's had good form of recent, vs williams, pianeta and vidoz. you don't have to be world class to be worth watching.

sosnowski never even had any amateur fights or big career build up. he's had mediocre nights but he's eventually become a good fighter. maybe it was only a job to him, but he's really upped his game of recent and should be credited for such. one of the few heavyweights that i'd watch, and his effort vs vitali - when totally outgunned - was far better than the ppl who have imploded (hide), run in terror (kevin johnson) or slumped to defeat in fat lump mode (williams, gomez, peter).

i'd love to see sosnowski v audley. it'd be a damn good friday fight night and an entertaining heavyweight battle. would they need the EBU title to fight each other? like i said, it's good to watch a fit, committed heavyweight who throws lots of punches. the pole is one of the few compelling fighters on the heavyweight scene. i'd also like to see him vs rogan.

if he can attract an adamek fight - and we know how tempting the british heavyweight equivalent is, haye-audley - then sosnowski would feature in a bigger event than may world class fighters.

That's all fair enough. Yes, Sosnowski is a decent watch, comes prepared, and so on, but one of my pet hates is the absurdly bloated records which are so common in HW boxing. Sosnowski may be better than the likes of McNeeley, Saleem, Nielsen, Rodriguez, Fields, etc, but the way his career has been charted is no different to these guys - and consequently I say he deserves the same criticism.

[Khaosai-Galaxy]

They talked about this fight on ABC sports today in the US, they were a lot more positive about the fight that the old women brigade on here.

Audley will knock Haye out in 8 rounds.



I have spoken...

[Autobarn]

fair enough oliver. i prefer to focus on his more recent fights, than the earlier ones. i just think it's understandable that an underpowered heavyweight with no amateur fights and apparently no big backing would have a slow burn career.

i'm glad he has been able to carve out a niche on the UK and european scenes, and i hope his career culminates in more than a brave world title effort/payday vs vitali, as well as the reputation as poland's 6th sexiest sportsman.

would love to see him vs audley, if they can get that fight back on, or dimitrenko - which could be a hard fought EBU title fight.

[el_grande_mauro_mina]

fair enough oliver. i prefer to focus on his more recent fights, than the earlier ones. i just think it's understandable that an underpowered heavyweight with no amateur fights and apparently no big backing would have a slow burn career.

i'm glad he has been able to carve out a niche on the UK and european scenes, and i hope his career culminates in more than a brave world title effort/payday vs vitali, as well as the reputation as poland's 6th sexiest sportsman.

would love to see him vs audley, if they can get that fight back on, or dimitrenko - which could be a hard fought EBU title fight.

Autobarn - what is it about your love of the Poilsh fighter? I need to know!! :geek2:

[Autobarn]

i don't know. always felt adamek was excellent and felt that for 2 or 3 years, michalczewski was a very good light heavyweight champ.

with the more recent fighters, it might have something to do with work ethic. some of these guys, ranging form world champs (adamek) to domestic/euro operators (sosnowski), always come in great shape and give their best.

[superpunchout]

Hypothetically, if Audley were able to spring the upset and KO David Haye for the belt, how far would such a result go towards mending his credibility with boxing fans and the British public in general?

Would it be a case of too little too late, or would his popularity do a massive u turn?

In asking this I don't mean to sound disrespectful towards Audley Harrison but I can still vividly remember a time when he was being touted as the next Lennox Lewis - a perception that his old interviews made very clear that he shared.

[Autobarn]

haye is the only chance audley has, because haye is a cruiserweight with a low workrate and a vulnerable chin.

obviously haye brings plenty of assets, such as confidence, mental strength, conditioning, speed, experience (in the pros) and power.

[Gazmac81]

I think the damage to Audley has been done Credibility wise and if Audley wins then Hays Credibility will go way down , If Audley does win then if i was Enzo Mac i would call Audley out as its a winnable fight for any big puncher.

Haye will win against Audley Easily IMO though one or 2 rounds .

Hypothetically, if Audley were able to spring the upset and KO David Haye for the belt, how far would such a result go towards mending his credibility with boxing fans and the British public in general?

Would it be a case of too little too late, or would his popularity do a massive u turn?

In asking this I don't mean to sound disrespectful towards Audley Harrison but I can still vividly remember a time when he was being touted as the next Lennox Lewis - a perception that his old interviews made very clear that he shared.

[superpunchout]

I think the damage to Audley has been done Credibility wise and if Audley wins then Hays Credibility will go way down , If Audley does win then if i was Enzo Mac i would call Audley out as its a winnable fight for any big puncher.

Haye will win against Audley Easily IMO though one or 2 rounds .

Hypothetically, if Audley were able to spring the upset and KO David Haye for the belt, how far would such a result go towards mending his credibility with boxing fans and the British public in general?

Would it be a case of too little too late, or would his popularity do a massive u turn?

In asking this I don't mean to sound disrespectful towards Audley Harrison but I can still vividly remember a time when he was being touted as the next Lennox Lewis - a perception that his old interviews made very clear that he shared.

With the exception of Sprott 1, has Audley ever really been hurt in the ring? I know that he suffered a flash knockdown in the first Williams contest but it wasn't as if he was on queer street after he hauled himself off the canvas.

I think that Audley Harrison's fragility is overstated, or to put another way, I don't panic in quite the same way with Audley as I do with Haye or Khan when they're under fire.

[SAPFO]

I think the term "weak chin" is overstated, it is just like the '0'. This is pro boxing, these men are the biggest and best punchers on the planet. Why are people still surprised when somebody gets KO'd?


Maybe we should say 'weak balance' instead?

[whatashambles]

Audley Harrison agrees £1m deal for WBA world heavyweight title fight against David Haye

Audley Harrison has agreed a £1million offer to challenge David Haye for the WBA world heavyweight title on November 13.

Haye, 29, has yet to get back to Harrison's promoter Matchroom about a clash that would be the biggest all-British heavyweight fight since Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno fought for the WBC world title in 1993.

Haye's second defence of the WBA belt could gross £5m with broadcaster Sky TV keen on offering the showdown as a pay-per-view event.

Harrison, who won gold at the 2000 Olympics but has since failed to live up to his own hype, put himself in contention by knocking out Reading's Michael Sprott in the last round to lift the European title in April.

Haye would have preferred to face either of the Ukrainian Klitschko brothers next in a world title unification clash.

But IBF-WBO champion Wladimir, 34, looks to be heading towards fighting mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin, of Russia, in September while Vitali, 38, may next defend his WBC belt against Nikolai Valuev.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/others ... z0r3vK00Dz

[gizmo1]

I know all this fuss is being made that Haye should fight the klits, but I definitely wouldn't mind a Haye/Harrison showdown as long as Haye then fights the Klits (assuming he comes through). It should be an exciting fight as long as it lasts like most alll British world title fights. The problem that I have is that Audley is out injured at the moment and I'm not too sure he will be ready to fight for a World Title by Nov 13.

[Autobarn]

it does make sense for haye the promoter to cash in this way in a big event, before perhaps cashing out versus a klitschko brother.

the fight should be a good laugh, if it happans. and if nothing else, haye gets to fight another super sized heavyweight.

tell the american critics, who don't even follow haye's career anyway, to sew up their fleshy slit like holes, and to shut their hairy, disc-like mouths.

[Belanio]

I would have preferred Audley to defend his EBU title vs. Dimitrenko and Rogan.

Should he win these two, we could be talking about a challenge for Haye. This now is just a boring execution.

[Bard of Boxrec]

You can quote me. And hold me to every word..

Audley will be the one making the fight and Haye will be the guy using the more negative tactics.

I'm not saying Audley will win ... But Haye will do his usual style of circling & circling ....and circling plenty more, before throwing his single shots.