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The heavyweight division kicks back into action tomorrow night in the unlikely city of Helsinki, Finland when giant WBA Champion Nikolay Valuev makes the second defence of his belt against former foe and WBA Champion In Recess Ruslan Chagaev.
The two men know each other very well. Back in April, 2007, Chagaev became the only man to beat Valuev when he took a close majority verdict over 12 rounds in Stuttgart, Germany.
Chagaev, unbeaten in 26 bouts, is one of those boxers who is a nightmare to fight. Relatively small by heavyweight standards and standing 6 foot 1 inch, Chagaev more often than not outfoxes and outsmarts his rivals using the southpaw stance.
Although the 30 year old has stopped 17 of his opponents, it’s interesting to note that in the last three years, only one man has been stopped legitimately.
In Valuev, Chagaev meets a giant of a man who, funnily enough, does have underrated boxing skills. Although standing a massive 7 feet tall, the Russian has won many of his title defences over the 12 round course. With only none defeat in 51 fights, Valuev has KO’d 34 opponents.
Although both men have a good KO percentage, Valuev, like Chagaev, has found that his power has not been effective since he has moved up in class. Only American Monte Barrett was legitimately stopped during Valuev’s first reign as champion in October, 2006 when it took 11 rounds to finish his smaller opponent.
The two Klitschkos quite rightly are recognised as top dogs in the division and the Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye matchup is the one occupying the tabloid’s time. However, this is a world Heavyweight championship fight and shouldn’t be ignored.
Much is on the line in this one. Valuev will be hungry for revenge and also after being heavily criticised in his last defence against Evander Holyfield in December, will want an impressive outing.
For Chagaev, its a chance to regain the belt he never lost in the ring.
Chagaev, as stated earlier, is a small heavyweight but, like Evander Holyfield at his peak, can handle the bigger man. As well as his first win over Valuev, Chagaev also outfoxed and outsmarted Britain’s Matt Skelton last year.
Come Saturday, I can see Chagaev repeating the win over Valuev and becoming a two-time champion.
