The Biggest Fight You Will Not See on TV
 By Julian Kasdin (Jan 14, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
Next week ‘The Russian Giant’ Nikolay Valuev, 45-0 (33), will make the third defense of his WBA title against Jameel ‘Big Time’ McCline, 38-6-3 (23), in what will literally be the biggest heavyweight title fight ever. How big? Well, when Valuev and McCline enter the ring they will have a combined height of at least 13’6” and a combined weight somewhere in the region of 590 to 600 pounds. What makes this fight even more interesting is that it will not be shown on American television, though I suspect that HBO will show portions of it on their Ricky Hatton and Jose Luis Castillo doubleheader.
Why should this fight demand our attention? Well in all honesty it should not demand our attention, but it should garner a double-take from most boxing fans, with the most obvious reason being that it is indeed the tallest and heaviest championship fight ever. It will also probably be McCline’s last shot at a title which means he might really bring it to the giant, and for the first time Valuev will actually have an opponent that matches up relatively well to him in the height and size department. That said, it will be interesting to see a man that normally towers over his opponents, McCline, being made to look up at his latest challenge.
McCline has slipped since being dominated by Wladimir Klitschko in 2002. Following that fight he scored some solid wins against Charles Shufford, stopping him in three, Cedric Boswell, and Wayne Llewelyn. He followed that up with a close loss against Chris Byrd, one of the most underrated fighters of the last decade, and another loss against rising Calvin Brock. Following a quick win over Steve Pannell he would drop a disappointing decision against Zuri Lawrence. Since the Lawrence fight he has gone six and O with three knockouts, albeit against mediocre competition. McCline has only fought one foe taller than him, Wladimir, and as far as I know has never fought someone that truly outweighed him.
Valuev is as interesting a figure as any in the sport of boxing. A man with no amateur pedigree who learned everything as a pro, his rise has won fans and critics alike, something this fight has also fallen victim too. To be fair this fight was in place before Valuev had a mandatory in Ruslan Chagaev, and true to form Valuev is remaining busy. As stated before this will be the first time Valuev has faced someone, at this level, that matches up well to him physically. However I am of the opinion that fighting someone taller than usual will actually benefit Valuev. Most super heavies, like McCline and Klitschko, are used to fighting from the outside given their normal height and reach advantage over their opposition. McCline has never really had to be an inside fighter, and more likely than not is too set in his ways to fight Valuev on the inside. While McCline is faster than Valuev fighting at range will only help the bigger stronger man as, for possibly the first time since his fight with Neil Kirkwood, he can actually throw straight punches that will allow him to achieve proper leverage on his shots.
Both Valuev and McCline are two of the better guys in the sport of boxing, and you really hate to see either lose. However this is a sport, and as with all sports there is almost always a winner and a loser. While McCline could always pull the upset I just do not see it happening. Valuev is bigger, stronger, has longer reach, hits harder and has better stamina. Valuev also has one of the more underrated skill sets in the sport as he knows how to wear down a fighter better than most and is also possessed of a solid jab and right hand that is complimented by a sometimes under utilized uppercut. While McCline has the advantage in speed his tendency to fade, plus Valuev’s ability to wear down fighters, just does not bode well for the likeable New Yorker. Give me Valuev by stoppage somewhere between rounds seven and ten in the biggest heavyweight title fight in history.
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