One huge mofo boxer!

**burner1** · 28th January 2006

7 feet, 323 pounds!

Next Big Thing

<LI style="LIST-STYLE-POSITION: inside; LIST-STYLE-TYPE: square">Valuev, boxing's tallest and heaviest champion ever, is a hero in Russia, controversy or no controversy.

By Kim Murphy, Times Staff Writer

MOSCOW � In any boxing club, sweat is part of the ambience, but in Russia, the sweat factor usually scores a one-two punch to the nose right from the doorway, reminding all who enter of what it smells like to be a nastoyashi muzhik, a real Russian man.

On the wall of a small neighborhood boxing club in northwest Moscow, there is a huge, grainy photo of Stanislav Stepashkin, the 1964 Olympic featherweight champion who was one of Russia's early claims to international boxing fame, and a real Russian man if there ever was one.

<TABLE style="CLEAR: left; MARGIN-TOP: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 5px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e9f0f2" width="10%" align=left><TBODY><TR><TD class=navmainsection align=middle></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Stepashkin agreed two years ago to serve as president of the club, and the neighborhood boys here renamed it in his honor.

These days, another photo hangs on the dank walls next to Stepashkin's, and while the picture isn't bigger, the man assuredly is: Nikolay Valuev, crowned in December as Russia's first World Boxing Assn. heavyweight champion.

Valuev himself strode into the gym recently during his triumphant return to Russia after the title bout, in which he defeated American John Ruiz on a controversial decision in Berlin to become the tallest (7 feet) and heaviest (323 pounds) world champion in history. He's so big he usually steps into the ring over the top rope � so big that the adolescent pugilists at the Stepashkin Club would have barely been able to land a hook as high as his belly, if they had the nerve to try.

Most just craned their necks and gawked, or melted into nervous grins.

"I don't know about the world, but here in Russia, he's been very famous for a long time. For the kids here, this is such an emotional thing," said Alexei Barsukov, a former trainer who came back for the spread of iced tortes, fresh fruit and champagne laid out in the manager's office in Valuev's honor.

In the rest of the world, Valuev, 32, is known as the "Beast from the East" (promoter Don King wants to call him "King Kong" when he defends his title in the U.S.), but in his homeland, he is more often known as the "Russian Giant."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-...home-headlines

**wiggi28** · 28th January 2006

he is the missing link !!!!!!!!!!!

**evilsatan** · 28th January 2006

Fookin hell, looks like bigfoot!

**bigdave007** · 30th January 2006

One swift uppercut to the nuts should drop him like a sack of spuds! lol...........or should that be Bolsheviks?

**B.I.G.** · 30th January 2006

He can't only be 32 years of age i'm not having that!!

And the fella he's fighting in that picture is 6'1

**shadowdancer** · 30th January 2006

new candidate for Rocky 6 , lets see Balboa unrealistically knock him out. lol

he's fecking huge , the other guy looks midget size compared to him

**MercuryRises** · 30th January 2006

Christ!

Imagine being in the ring and watching that guy coming out of the tunnel, That would be enough to make me quit, that guy is fooking huge!

**Danger Mouse** · 30th January 2006

looks like he slept in a grow bag as a child or hes the result of some real dodgy experiment, either way hes a scary looking fucka!

**WalterPill** · 30th January 2006

I bet he's really shit.

**CzarJunkie** · 30th January 2006

Valuev's homecoming has been marred by an incident Jan. 19 in his hometown of St. Petersburg, where he was accused of beating a security guard who had directed his wife Galina � rudely, she said � to move her car when she brought the couple's 3-year-old son, Grigory, to skating lessons at a local sports club.

The guard, a 61-year-old pensioner, has been hospitalized for the last week with a concussion and bruises to the chest.

He couldn't stop Ruiz, who is hardly a decent heavyweight, think he found his level with the 61 y.o. security guard. Pah, walter's right, this circus freak sounds shite.

**bigdave007** · 30th January 2006

I'd bite his kneecaps! Doesn't scare me fookin freak!

**burner1** · 30th January 2006

The guard, a 61-year-old pensioner, has been hospitalized for the last week with a concussion and bruises to the chest.

The compensation culture has finally got to Russia then

**GhettoMoose** · 31st January 2006

Always one cunt more stupid tho...

Holyfield eyes fight with Valuev

Nikolay Valuev (left) beat John Ruiz to win the WBA heavyweight world championship
Valuev makes boxing history
Veteran Evander Holyfield wants a shot at Russia's new giant WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev.

The 43-year-old American, a former undisputed world heavyweight champion, said he was undaunted by Valuev's hulking 7ft, 24st frame.

"I'm hoping that I get the opportunity to fight him," Holyfield told BBC Radio Five Live. "It would be a good show.

"The art of the game of boxing is not so much the size but what you can do with what God's given you."

Valuev became the tallest and heaviest champion in boxing history with a controversial points win over WBA heavyweight holder John Ruiz on Sunday.

But the 6ft 2in Holyfield, who beat Mike Tyson twice in 1996 and 1997, believes he can overcome the significant height advantage.

"You can be big but if you can't fight, you don't have the punch or don't have the skills that are necessary then you're just another fighter," he said.

"It's obvious that he'll get tired if you move a lot. I should have faster hands so I should be able to dot in and dot out and hit him with a lot of punches.

"He could throw one hard shot and that could be it - but you've got to not let him hit you and you've got to hit him."

Holyfield was put on a medical suspension after losing his last fight against Larry Donald in November 2004 - his fifth defeat in his last eight bouts.

But despite earning an estimated $150m (�80m) in the ring during a 20-year career, the four-time heavyweight champion is determined to bow out of the sport on a high note.

"The most important thing is finishing properly," he said.