Quote Originally Posted by X
I must admit I never really rated him as a fighter.

But, having said that ....... the poor guy will have spent all his life being taunted and ridiculed as a freak. He will have had to get special clothes, special furniture, special everything and he HAS maximised his potential. Whatever talent he has as a fighter, he has made the most of it and become literally the best he could ever be.

You don't hear about him beating people up, shirking training, assaulting women, talking smack or being disrespectful to his opponent. He seems to be a happily married family man? How gutted must he be about falling short of Marciano's record - which would have allowed him to shut up all those who teased him over the years?

Despite this, he remained absolutely gracious in defeat. How many fighters can say they have done that, especially after what seems to have been a contentious decision.

Good luck to the guy .... made the most of what he could be, never quit and, if we're honest, he is a credit to the sport and a thoroughly decent human being.

Seeing as he also exhibits unmistakable physical signs of an overactive thyroid gland and gigantisisn, I will leave you all with some words that could easily describe Mr Valuev .....

"Tis true, my form is something odd
but blaming me, is blaming God,
Could I create myself anew
I would not fail in pleasing you.
If I could reach from pole to pole
or grasp the ocean with a span,
I would be measured by the soul
The mind's the standard of the Man"

That was the self-penned epitaph of John Merrick, the Elephant Man. Another thoroughly decent and intelligent man who endured a lifetime of taunts.

Now don't get me wrong, I never thought he was a very good fighter, I didn't think he deserved to beat the Marciano record and I knew he would lose one day to someone who could just a box a bit better than him - but I firmly belive that boxing is one of the few sports where disadvantaged people had a chance to make something of themselves, and Valuev did not piss that chance up against a wall, like to so many much more talented fighters have done.


Hold Me closely X , tell me everything is going to be alright !