Nikolai Valuev

Nikolai Sergeyevich Valuev, whose nicknames were "Beast from the East" and "The Russian Giant", was a Russian politician and a former professional boxer. He competed in boxing for 16 years, from 1993 to 2009, and held the World Boxing Association or WBA heavyweight title twice between 2005 and 2009. In boxing history, Valuev is famously known as the tallest and heaviest champion ever, standing at a height of 2.13 metres or 7 feet and weighing 149 kilograms or 328 pounds at his peak, respectively.

Valuev began his professional boxing career on October 15, 1993, at the age of 20, against John Morton. He secured a 2nd round TKO over John Morton, thus starting his career with a victory. He went ahead to win 18 more consecutive fights, which included 15 wins via stoppage. It was 2005 when Valuev had his first world title fight at the age of 32 on December 17, after 43 professional fights, against John Ruiz for the heavyweight WBA title. He defeated Ruiz by a 12 round majority decision, which made him the heavyweight champion of the world.

Valuev obtained two world titles at heavyweight. His professional record comprised of 53 bouts, with 50 wins, 2 losses, and no draws. Out of the 50 wins, 34 were knockout wins. He had four title defenses and three wins via knockout. The two losses of his professional boxing career came via decision.

His two title-bout defeats happened against Ruslan Chagaev and David Haye. He experienced his first defeat against Ruslan Chagaev via 12 round majority decision on April 14, 2007, which ended his 46-fight win streak. He has never been stopped during his entire boxing career.

Valuev's last boxer title defense was against the British boxer David Haye on November 7, 2009. Valuev lost the fight via 12 round majority decision and lost his WBA title. It has been 13 years, 4 months, and 24 days since this fight. Therefore, Valuev retired from professional boxing with a record of 50-2, which included 34 knockout wins, and two title wins.

Career Highlights

Nikolai Valuev fought a total of 53 times during his professional boxing career. However, listed below are four fights that are the highlights of his career.

December 17, 2005: Valuev won his first world title by defeating John Ruiz via 12 round majority decision. He became the WBA heavyweight world champion with this victory.

June 3, 2006: Valuev successfully defended the WBA heavyweight title against Owen Beck, winning the fight via 3rd round TKO.

January 20, 2007: Valuev successfully defended the WBA heavyweight title against Jameel McCline, winning the game via 3rd round RTD.

December 20, 2008: Valuev successfully defended the WBA heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield, winning the game via 12 round majority decision.

Notable Wins

Nikolai Valuev has some of the best fights and notable victories that are worth mentioning. Below are some of his most remarkable moments in the ring.

Evander Holyfield: Valuev fought against Hall-of-Famer Evander Holyfield, and won via a 12 round majority decision.

Owen Beck: Valuev defended the WBA heavyweight title against Owen Beck and claimed victory via a 3rd round TKO.

Ruiz, Jean Francois Bergeron, Attila Levin, Monte Barrett: Valuev won against these boxers in his prime career.

Outside Boxing

After Nikolai Valuev retired from boxing, he delved into politics and became a member of the Russian parliament. He is a member of the United Russia party and was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Leningrad Oblast from 2009 to 2011. He also serves as the Vice-President of the Russian Bandy Federation, in which he oversees the development of the sports.

Valuev is also a presenter on a children's TV program in Russia, which is running for a long time. In 2006, Valuev made his cameo debut in a German film 7 Zwerge – Der Wald ist nicht genug. He then played a leading role in the film "Stonehead" by Philip Yankovskiy, where he acted as an ex-boxer that had memory loss. The film became a success, and he continued filming in two new films that came out at the same time.

Nikolai Valuev Boxing School and Youth Sports Foundation

Nikolai Valuev also founded the Nikolay Valuev Boxing School, which works to promote boxing among school students, pupils, and adults. The Nikolay Valuev Boxing School is situated in Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast. The school has three different age groups that participate and compete in various boxing matches, including the "Valuev Cup," which is a youth boxing tournament that has become a regular competition in Saint Petersburg.

Retirement From Boxing and Health Problems

After losing his last heavyweight title defense bout against David Haye on November 7, 2009, Nikolai Valuev retired from boxing. He retired with a record of 50-2, which included 34 knockouts and two titles. He faced some medical issues in 2010 and had to take a break from all sports when he was diagnosed with serious bone and joint issues, which required two surgeries.

Valuev announced in 2013 that medical advice was part of the reason he opted not to make

Nikolai Valuev Fight Record