Unable to finalize a deal to fight former heavyweight titleholder Nikolai Valuev, Vitali Klitschko will make his fourth defense against Poland's Albert Sosnowski, Klitschko's K2 Promotions announced Tuesday.
Klitschko and Sosnowski will meet May 29 at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
"I am very happy to have my next fight in Germany again," said Klitschko, a native of Ukraine who has fought regularly in Germany. "The arena in Gelsenkirchen and the fans there are very special. I experienced that last year when my brother Wladimir had his fight there in front of 61,000 spectators. The atmosphere was simply electrifying."
Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs) had been negotiating a bout with 7-foot, 320-pound Valuev, who lost his version of the title to David Haye in November. However, co-promoter Don King's demand of $4 million killed the fight, according to Klitschko's adviser, Shelly Finkel.
So Klitschko, 38, turned to the 31-year-old Sosnowski, the European heavyweight champion who now lives in England, in a lean field of contenders.
"I saw Sosnowski's fights on DVD and must admit that he is a very experienced, quick and tough opponent," Klitschko said. "He will do anything to get my belt but I promise that this is not going to happen."
Sosnowski (45-2-1, 27 KOs), who is 6-2, 228 pounds, had been scheduled to defend the European title against England's Audley Harrison on April 9 in London but scrapped the fight when the opportunity to challenge Klitschko came up.
"A dream comes true," Sosnowski said of his world title shot. "Because of the Harrison fight I am already in training and suddenly comes the once-in-a-lifetime chance to fight Klitschko. I want to thank him and his team to give me that opportunity which I will definitely take. For me, Klitschko is already over the hill. I know that I am the underdog for everybody, but I tell you, Klitschko will regret that he picked me.
"Many Polish and Germans with Polish roots live in the Gelsenkirchen area and I hope that they will support me. I will be the first Polish heavyweight champion of the world."
Sosnowski claimed the vacant European title with a near-shutout decision against Italy's Paolo Vidoz in December.
However, his credentials for a title bout are extremely thin. He's 2-1-1 in his last four bouts, including an eight-round decision loss to journeyman Zuri Lawrence in which Sosnowski did not win a single round against an opponent who came into the bout with a record of 24-14-4.
Klitschko has been dominant since ending a nearly four-year retirement due to injuries. In his last fight, he scored a virtual shutout of American Kevin Johnson in December.
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