49 and Oh No
Julian Kasdin and Gabriel Montoya  (Feb 17, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
Nikolay Valuev, 46-0 (34), is closer to Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 mark then anyone in over two-decades, and that statistical fact has more than a few people up in arms.  Valuev is possibly the most watched and most despised heavyweight boxer in the world.  Yet, despite this mixture of admiration and condemnation, Valuev continues to win.  What can this humble, good natured and hard working man do to win over the boxing world?      

Well in the eyes of Gabriel and I, Valuev has done all we can ask of a fighter.  He has gone out and fought to the best of
his abilities in virtually every fight.  His next fight against 22-0-1 (17) Ruslan Chagaev can go a long way toward building a begrudging respect from many boxing fans.  Chagaev, and not Samuel Peter, is possibly the best young contender in the heavyweight division.  With a combination of power, skill, an iron chin and quality wins over giant Vladimir Virchis and John Ruiz, he has propelled himself to contender status.  Next up for the 6’1” 230 pound power-punching southpaw is the biggest champion ever, Nikolay Valuev. 

Chagaev’s best weapon is a straight left counter of the jab which he will most likely use against Valuev, and by doing so will give us a very good idea of just how iron the giant’s chin is.  He will probably also use hard hooks and uppercuts to bang away at Valuev’s body in attempt to wear him down.  Chagaev is, in my opinion, one of the best contenders a champion has fought in recent years.  Chagaev is skilled, strong, and in or near his prime, which is something many contenders that have faced past greats were not.  If Valuev can use his jab, thudding right hand and uppercut to win convincingly against Chagaev, he will have registered the biggest win of any defending champion since Lewis beat Tua.

The general consensus among boxing purists is that Valuev is an undeserving fighter who shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath as the beloved Marciano. This may be in part because of the close decision against John ‘Huggy Bear’ Ruiz that garnered the 7’2” Valuev his title. Whether you agree with the decision or not, John Ruiz is not an easy opponent for anyone. He has legit wins over several top fighters and if anything, Valuev should be praised for taking the boring Ruiz out of the heavyweight title picture.  It may also be because of the dubious decision in Valuev’s favor over Larry Donald in the title elimination bout.  Or it might simply be a case of everyone hates a giant. Perhaps boxing purists merely want a more deserving (read: American) fighter to break the record.  Whatever the reason, Nicolay Valuev is clearly the Rodney Dangerfield of the heavyweight division’s four titlists.

So what can a man who has beaten every one who has stepped in his path do to rectify the situation? The answer is simple: keep winning against the elite fighters in the division. Chagaev, like Julian said, is a step in the right direction. A virtual unknown here in the States, Chagaev is that rare mandatory defense who is actually as dangerous as his number one contender status would indicate. While the Marciano supporters may kill me for this, in my opinion he is every bit as dangerous as any man that ‘The Rock’ defended his title against and possibly more so because he is in his physical prime and is undefeated unlike all but two of Marciano’s six defenses.

Should Valuev be successful against Chagaev and depending on how that success plays out, the young challenger’s credentials will undoubtedly be questioned. So it will be up to Valuev to challenge himself yet again and seek out the division’s most dangerous fighters on his continual march towards greatness. The two names that stick out to me are current WBC number one contender Sam Peter and IBF titlist Wladimir Klitschko.

I can't decide which fighter is the dark horse here. Both have considerable strengths and weaknesses. Peter has an excellent chin. It took Wlad all of 12 rounds to finally buzz him and I haven't seen him hurt any other time. His strength is very good and 

in his rematch with Toney, Peter’s stamina seemed much improved. While his jab is becoming more of a reliable weapon, I am unsure if it will be a factor against a man who is a foot taller than him. I stated in an earlier article on Valuev that Peter's wide looping right hand could be the punch that might be most effective against Valuev. Monte Barrett seemed to find a home for it against Valuev and I look for Peter to do the same. Valuev is not the most effective body puncher as his size makes it hard to get downstairs but he makes up for it by lying on his opponents after tying them and ultimately tiring them out with his 335 lbs. Peter has to be effective getting inside while avoiding the jab and thudding right of Valuev. Not allowing Valuev to tie him up and tire his legs out will be imperative.

Sam Peter vs. Valuev may just come down to Peter’s ability to get past Valuev’s long, hard jab. With a reach disadvantage of 77” for Peter to Valuev’s 85”, the fight might be won or lost on Peter’s past inability to adjust to a fighter who has a dominant jab. Another weapon that may trouble Peter is Valuev’s sneaky uppercut. Peter’s biggest weaknesses are that he can be out boxed by larger opponents (as evidenced by the Klitschko fight) and that he is at times overly aggressive which could lead to stamina issues down the stretch and counter punching opportunities for his opponent. This fight will be an uphill climb for Peter. He will have to be at his best and fight a near perfect fight in order to beat Valuev. Though Peter carries power in both hands and is one of the top two most explosive fighters in the division in my opinion, I see this fight as a pick ‘em due to the size disparity.  

If any fighter has the right combination of skill, size, power, speed and mobility to beat Valuev it is Wladimir Klitschko.  Klitschko is arguably the hardest hitter in the heavyweight division something that is only made all the more pronounced due to his great speed and accuracy.  He has turned his jab into one of the most effective weapons in the sport using it to keep his opponents at bay, inflict damage, and open them up for his punishing right hand.  Klitschko also makes great use of his height and reach against opponents who are often smaller than him.  Pay close attention to that last statement, he makes great use of his height and reach against opponents that are often smaller than him.

Valuev, as we all know, is not smaller than Klitschko.  He has longer reach, is taller, weighs considerably more and is physically stronger.  Not only that but Valuev has a very good jab too, one that punished Ruiz quite badly in their fight, and a heavy right hand.  Throw in his heavy uppercut and you have a man whose arsenal is not all that bad.  However Valuev does not just have a jab, right and uppercut; he has stamina, a great ability to wear his opponents down, and what seems to be an iron chin.  Now we did see in the McCline and Levin fights that it was possible to get to Valuev.  It should be mentioned in both fights that it was Valuev imposing his will on the opponents and ultimately it was Levin and McCline who lost.

Klitschko is faster than McCline and Levin, and he packs a bigger punch, but he also has a shakier chin.  If Valuev presses the action and can take Klitschko’s heat, chances are he will land some of his shots.  As can be seen in several of his fights, once Valuev has someone hurt he does jump on them and throws a lot of very heavy shots with surprising accuracy.  He could very well lose to Klitschko, but if he lands his big right hand or a hard uppercut there is no guarantee Klitschko will not get hurt – and if he does Valuev will be on top of him.  Now this all might seem like a lot of Valuev nut-hugging, but can anyone truly rule out a Valuev victory over Klitschko?  If Valuev were to beat Klitschko he would have a more impressive name on his ledger, given Klitschko ‘s age and physical tools, then the Rock had in his six title defenses. 

Valuev vs. Klitschko is possibly the most intriguing fight in the heavyweight division because it will crown an undisputed heavyweight champion.  If Klitschko were to win it could potentially create a situation where Wladimir and Vitali control the division; if Valuev were to win it could set up another mega-match up with Vitali, a fight that if won by Valuev could propel him toward true greatness. 

All that being said we need to really respect Valuev for all that he has accomplished thus far despite the years of bad management.  This man was not taken seriously as a fighter for ten of the thirteen years that he has fought.  He has only recently, thanks to Wilfried Sauerland, been given real management and a real team around him.  He has grown as a fighter very quickly, and continues to improve.  It is high time that this man, who was seen as nothing more than a sideshow for most of his career, get the respect that he deserves from boxing fans the world over.


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