Who WIll Step Up the Plate - DHB Valuev Article

This is my piece on Valuev for Doghouseboxing. It has some misc. news and opinions atthe bottom as well.

Who Will Step Up To the Plate?

By Gabriel Montoya

The Beast From The East has arrived in America, and while the fight was not the most exciting of the night’s four televised bouts, the implications of Nicolay Valuev’s 45th win (against 0 losses) are certainly the most interesting. It is safe to say that he is not the fastest of the four heavyweight titlists, or the hardest puncher, or the one possessed of the most diverse arsenal. But his patience, intelligence, and sheer size make him an intriguing horse in the slow dance that is the race to unify the heavyweight crown. The fact that he is the only undefeated title holder makes him an even sweeter win. So who will it be? Who will step up to the sizable plate of Nicolay Valuev? Which man that wants to be called "undisputed" will be the one to put an "L" where there is now a "0"?

At first glance, Wlad Klitschko seems the obvious choice. At a reported 6’7", he is the closest in height to Valuev, and possesses an arsenal of combinations that is rivaled only by my dark horse pick, Serguei Lyakhovich. Klitschko seems the most able to handle the physicality that Valuev brings to the table. The jab seems to be a key to beating Valuev as well, and Wlad has the best jab in the division. Now the knocks on Wlad are his stamina and his chin. He has been stopped three times, though to be fair, one of those was a corner stoppage because Wlad had punched himself out. Valuev, as I have stated, is not a power puncher, but the repeated right hands that would land as Wlad tires could get something done. However, the pace at which Valuev fights (think molasses) is to Klitschko’s advantage, as he is fighting at a more measured pace under Manny Steward’s tutelage. The biggest knock against Wlad in terms of recent performances is that while he did get across the finish line against Sam Peter, he had to crawl across it.Yes, he dominated Chris Byrd, but how will Klitschko deal with a man bigger and heavier than himself? How will he deal with a man infinitely more physical than the rough-and-ready Peter? Klitschko in my opinion has the best chance to outbox and eventually KO Valuev, but it will take his best performance to date to do it.

What Serguei Lyakhovich showed when he defeated Klitschko's conqueror Lamon Brewster was tenacity under intense fire. He gave better than he got for the majority of the rounds, and no matter how tired or rocked by Brewster’s shots, he kept executing his game plan. I question whether Lyakhovich can manhandle Valuev, but at the same time, I question whether that is the way to beat him. Larry Donald boxed his way to a disputed decision loss to Valuev just this year. And if Larry can do it, I firmly believe Serguei can as well, and escape with the win. Lyakhovich has excellent wheels and is every bit as agile as Klitschko. He has a battle tested chin, good stamina, and heavy hands, but not of one-punch knockout artist proportions. His is more of a thudding power as opposed to the accurate dynamite shots of Klitschko. If Lyakhovich can sustain and maintain a boxing match rather than a power-shot festival, I give him a very good shot at pulling off the upset.


Now I realize that Sam Peter is not a titleholder, but he is set to fight Maskaev should he win his proposed rematch with James Toney and get on the dance card with Oleg Maskaev (two fights I pick Peter to win). Peter is an interesting proposition against Valuev. Like Klitscho, he has stamina issues in my opinion. He possesses raw strength and power, but an unrefined game. It is safe to say that Valuev throws straighter shots than Peter. However, watching the Barrett fight, something emerged to my mind--Barrett kept landing his wide, looping right hand. The punch was thrown at an unnatural angle for him, but still landed. A wide, looping right throw over the top is Peter’s money punch. It carries power, even though from that angle it shouldn’t. Could Peter be tailor made to KO the Russian giant? It’s possible. He does have the tenacity and killer instinct, and his chin only wilted late against Wladimir Klitschko. I give Peter more than a puncher’s chance in this one. I doubt he can outbox Valuev traditionally, but he can out-hustle him, and depending on if Valuev can take his shot, just might be able to get him out there early.

Oleg Maskaev may be a better-schooled technician than Valuev and have heavier hands, but his chin is suspect and at his age, I don’t think he is looking to climb the unification mountain. Maskaev would have to try and one-two his way in, and alter the path of his right hand to adjust for height, thereby negating its power. He's an excellent counter-puncher, and may be able to outsmart the slow Russian in a slow-dance-and-clinch, but I don’t think he will be around as a titlist long enough to get a match with Valuev.

WHO WINS?

As always, that question comes down at least in part to the third man in the ring. It will be up to him to dictate the geography of the fight. If the ref allows the fight to follow the pattern of Valuev’s Ruiz or Barrett fights, with Valuev allowed to clinch whenever his opponent gets inside to work, then Valuev could break Marciano’s 49-0 record. Jay Nady or Randy Neumann might be good choices for anyone looking to negate that tactic. If, say, Steve "Let ‘em Fight Come Hell Or High Water” Smoger is running the show, then Valuev might be able to get away with some of his grappling moves. Smoger is a ref known for letting the combatants fight, and that could work to both Valuev's and Peter’s advantage. In boxing, though, nothing is predictable. One punch can change everything. With all three titlists mentioned scheduled to fight by the end of the year against various levels of opposition, it looks like we won’t know the answers to any of the questions posed here until sometime in 2007.

There are some that will stay within the confines of their previous opinions of Valuev now that we have seen an HBO broadcast of him. Surely, while Barrett had the warrior’s mentality (and the right idea in my opinion) in his attack of Valuev, the end result was surely a foregone conclusion from the time the ink hit the contract paper. To my eyes however, this introductory mismatch did show a bit more than a first glance suggests. Valuev in his patient, lumbering attack, reminded me a bit of Big George Foreman in the later years. He plodded forward behind a slow, thudding jab, and waited to either land the right behind it or to catch Barrett with it coming in. In between rounds ten and eleven, at which point Barrett’s legs were beginning to seriously betray him, Valuev’s corner yelled at him to stop fighting “like an actor,” triple the jab, and come with the right. Valuev, showing the ability to remain poised and take his corner’s advice, did just that. His right hand, while not possessing the unearthly power of a natural-born power puncher, is still lethal in its own right. The beginning-of-the-end punch swung around like a wrecking ball and came down in a vicious arc at the last possible second, with stunning results. It didn't have the most snap, but with that much of an arc to travel over, does it matter? There are many who will say that Valuev wouldn’t be in the game if he weren’t that huge, but can’t you say the same thing about Shaq? Take away any fighters’ greatest asset, and they would have problems. Like Shaq, Valuev is an anomly and will be referee’d differently from fight to fight. The things that noral sized boxers do that are taken for granted ( holding an opponents head down , clinching) are magnified because of Valeuv’s size. That said, any of the above match-ups would be entertaining as hell, and while I think the crowd will always root against Goliath, they certainly weren’t complaining when he finally got Barrett out of there. Like it or not, boxing purists, Nicolay Valuev, the world’s most intriguing current heavyweight, is here to stay until someone steps up and takes his 0 away.


Klitschko Side note

At the Peter/Toney post-fight conference, I questioned Wladimir Klitscho's manager, Shelly Finkel, as to why Wladimir was ducking Lyakhovich. A standard "this isn't the place to anwer that" was given, and Finkel quickly left the podium. But after Don King went on a tirade to answer my question, stating "Because he has no chin and no heart," Finkel returned to the podium and said he had an interest in signing a Klitscho/Valuev match on the spot. They were interrupted by the arrival of Sam Peter, but I find it interesting that Finkel would jump at a chance at Valuev over Lyakhovich.

STOP THE FIGHT!!!

Referee John O'Brien was dangerously negligent in not stopping Valuev/Barrett sooner. It appears that somewhere in the fight, Barrett decided that going the distance was enough for him. As I said before the fight, Barrett was going to go out with "Two Gunz" blazing, and he tried to. Don King said afterwards, "Monte fought a great fight. This was the best I have ever seen him fight." But after the two knockdowns in the eleventh, it was clear that although he didn't want to continue, neither did he want to be the one to pull the plug. Props to Barrett's corner for saving him from both Valuev and O'Brien.

MASKAEV – HOPKINS for the WBC Title ?


Why is it that when a hall of fame fighter from a weight class south of Heavyweight decides to put a cap on his career by fighting the weakest of the heavyweight champs, we call it an accomplishment? Why is this fight even necessary ? Bernard Hopkins has made it known that he intends to come back ( was he gone ?) in order to fight for Oleg Maskaev’s WBC title . That is after Maskaev defends it against Peter “ I have no idea who he is either” Okhello. After the WBC randomly ruled that the Toney/Peter clash for the top WBC contender spot was so controversial it needed a rematch , Maskaev was given a pass on his mandatory and opted for Okhello. How is it that Hopkins will be allowed to fight for a title in a weight class he has never fought in ? Why is it that a hall of fame fighter’s personal need to feed on the perceived weakest of the heavyweight titlists supercede the sports’ need for a unification tournament ? It is personal gain fights like this that are helping keep Boxing’s glamour division at a standstill .
Darchinyan-Donaire

Somebody please get Vic Darchinyan a match-up with Jorge Arce soon. This guy is everything The Prisoner Naseem Hamed should have been, completely unorthodox in every way from his southpaw stance to the way he changes up his attack. The difference is, he is disciplined in his attack. Once called a wild, slugging brawler, Darchinyan has evolved into something far more interesting. His fight this weekend against Glenn Donaire was the most entertaining one-sided beatdown I have seen in some time. Every time Donaire began to time Darchinyan, the clever southpaw power-puncher used his lead right in a new way, pawing with, extending it ala Kostya Tszye, or simply attacking with both fists deadly accurate. I am going out on a limb here, and saying that Darchinyan knocks out Arce in a fight-of-the-year candidate in 2007.


Jeff Lacy Update
Jeff Lacy responded to recent comments from Yusaf Mack that he Lacy and his team was ducking him. An offer had been made from Team Lacy but as “Left Hook “ put it “ HBO turned Mack down. Trust me I wanted to fight him.”
As for whom Lacy will face next, the search goes on. A possible future opponent could be Allan Green but Lacy feels the time isn’t right just yet. “Allan is on the hot list but I want him to keep making himself a bigger name so it could b a headline. He's not there yet. He got floored and if it wasn't in his hometown he would have been knocked out that night. He needs to keep building his name for it to be a headline fight.” More details to come.

man those doghouse cats are very biased on theyre opinions concerning the wbc title race...
i dont like it... lol
saying so confidently that peter could beat both toney (ahem ..no) and maskaev (probabbly)
and talking isshhh about b-hop and how winning the heavyweight title against a guy so much larger then him isnt an accompishment.. and i bet my bollocks to a barndance that if they get an interview with b-hop they would kiss his ass like there was no tomorow!! fools!! lol
peace

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Originally Posted by body head banger

man those doghouse cats are very biased on theyre opinions concerning the wbc title race...
i dont like it... lol
saying so confidently that peter could beat both toney (ahem ..no) and maskaev (probabbly)
and talking isshhh about b-hop and how winning the heavyweight title against a guy so much larger then him isnt an accompishment.. and i bet my bollocks to a barndance that if they get an interview with b-hop they would kiss his a** like there was no tomorow!! fools!! lol
peace

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I wouldn't call my stance towards the WBC biased in any way shape or form. If anything, they are the ones who are biased. Follow the lineage of any of their belts and you'll find they play favorites depending on who carries their belts. WHy was Arce an"interim" champ for so long and never forced to fight the actual champ ? Double sanctioning fees. Why will the WBC allow Maskaev to have another voluntary defense rather than face a mando ? Money again. Look at the lineage of DLH's own WBC 154 title belt and you'll see it is as paper as the contract he signed to fight for it.Why is it that DLH can wait until NEXT MAY to defend that belt against the popponent he chooses ? Same with Mayweather's WBC 140 lb belt that he hedl forever and never was forced to defend.

You may take my comments as hate on these fighters but that isn't the point. The point is the WBC is crooked as hell as screwing with our sport. If not standing for that and pointing it out every chance I get is "biased" so be it.

As for Hopkins picking on the weakest champion, yeah , I don't think that is an accomplishment. WHy not call out the toughest guy in the division or the best ? WHy call out the weakest ? Same MO for a fighter that plaued it safe for the majority of his reign at middleweight.

Gabriel Montoya

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Originally Posted by ender

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Originally Posted by body head banger

man those doghouse cats are very biased on theyre opinions concerning the wbc title race...
i dont like it... lol
saying so confidently that peter could beat both toney (ahem ..no) and maskaev (probabbly)
and talking isshhh about b-hop and how winning the heavyweight title against a guy so much larger then him isnt an accompishment.. and i bet my bollocks to a barndance that if they get an interview with b-hop they would kiss his a** like there was no tomorow!! fools!! lol
peace

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I wouldn't call my stance towards the WBC biased in any way shape or form. If anything, they are the ones who are biased. Follow the lineage of any of their belts and you'll find they play favorites depending on who carries their belts. WHy was Arce an"interim" champ for so long and never forced to fight the actual champ ? Double sanctioning fees. Why will the WBC allow Maskaev to have another voluntary defense rather than face a mando ? Money again. Look at the lineage of DLH's own WBC 154 title belt and you'll see it is as paper as the contract he signed to fight for it.Why is it that DLH can wait until NEXT MAY to defend that belt against the popponent he chooses ? Same with Mayweather's WBC 140 lb belt that he hedl forever and never was forced to defend.

You may take my comments as hate on these fighters but that isn't the point. The point is the WBC is crooked as hell as screwing with our sport. If not standing for that and pointing it out every chance I get is "biased" so be it.

As for Hopkins picking on the weakest champion, yeah , I don't think that is an accomplishment. WHy not call out the toughest guy in the division or the best ? WHy call out the weakest ? Same MO for a fighter that plaued it safe for the majority of his reign at middleweight.

Gabriel Montoya

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one ... youre talking like youre all stressed like you cant take constuctive criticism!!
two.... you must be blind if you think bernard hopkins played it safe for his riegn as middleweight champion!!
he fought the likes of roy jones jr (early but yet still as middlewieght champ) and was one of the only fighters of the time to not look completely overwhlemed by rjj
glen johnson
felix trinidad - a fight that nobody believed he could win
william joppy
oscar de la hoya
jermain taylor
hardly the resume of someone who ducked a challenge..
and yes maybe maskaev is considered the most vulnerable heavyweight champ but lets face it it takes one punch to change a fight in the heavywieght division, especially when youre fighting a man who is really a middleweight or a genuine lightheavyweight at the most!! and at the age of what 41 42? thats a huge accomplishment!! and those are some serious accusations towards the wbc, maybe if you think about it it works out.. fiar enough, but there is still no proof of this and it is not the point anyway.
many consider the wbc title as the big title to acheive in each division possibly this is why he wants the fight...
and can you really blame the excecutioner for not challenging vlad,sergie,or even valuev... you think those are fair advantages to overcome besides around 40 pounds and genuine punching power in the heavyweight division... its not much just to accept its a plausible accomplishment for bhop now is it?

1) I am not stressed and if I could not take criticism I wouldn't be a writer ( the process from my PC to the page is a very critique filled one) , I wouldn't identify myself as that writer and I wouldn't put my personal email on all of my articles. If I write passionately , it's because I love to talk fights and debate. Your use of !!! makes it seem like YOU"RE the one that can't take the heat. Weren't you banned by DHB ? Why ? I remember you as a good poster . At least a guy by the same name.

2) Fighting DLH was not a challenge in any way shape or form. The guy started at 135. C'mon.

3) Anyone that didn't think Hopkins could beat Tito doesn't know Boxing. The "experts" love to belive hype and slept on BHOP in my opinion.

4) Hopkins was NOT champion when he fought RJJ. They foguth for the vacant IBF title.

5) Hop was hoping that Taylor was too green to be a threat IMO. He was wrong.

6) The fights that Hop left on the table are waaay better than the fights he actually had. Not denying his accomplishment . 20 defenses is a record that will stand a long time. But look at how long it took to unify. If Tito hadn't been a part of that tournament, he may never have unified. Fighting mandos for the majority of your reign is not risktaking. Fighting Allen 3 times and Hakkar and Carl Daniels is not risk taking.

and yes maybe maskaev is considered the most vulnerable heavyweight champ but lets face it it takes one punch to change a fight in the heavywieght division, especially when youre fighting a man who is really a middleweight or a genuine lightheavyweight at the most!! and at the age of what 41 42? thats a huge accomplishment!! and those are some serious accusations towards the wbc, maybe if you think about it it works out.. fiar enough, but there is still no proof of this and it is not the point anyway.
many consider the wbc title as the big title to acheive in each division possibly this is why he wants the fight...
and can you really blame the excecutioner for not challenging vlad,sergie,or even valuev... you think those are fair advantages to overcome besides around 40 pounds and genuine punching power in the heavyweight division... its not much just to accept its a plausible accomplishment for bhop now is it?"


In my opinion , at this point, none of the belts are worth a damn. What the heavies need is unifiaction not another change of hands. We have a strong group of titlists here. They need to fight eachother and establish one guy as champion. Hopkins' move is a selfish one and a move that disrupts what the heavies and Boxing need.

As for the WBC , yes those are serious accusations . But I don't make idle talk. I do my research and if you did as well, you'd see how crooked they really are. Just follow the belts and how they change hands sometimes in the ring , sometimes out. I get the feeling , and there is no way to prove it unless you ask Jose Sulaiman( who wouldn't answer it) that Toney?Peter 2 was ordered in order to give BHOP time to get ready to fight Maskaev. I agree that Maskaev could change thinsg with one punch but chances are he wouldn't . He has more miles on him than BHOP ( i.e been KO"d ). If BHOP was looking to do something at HW instead of just a one off, sure I'd be into it. BUt to see another chessmatch from him at this age where he rarely throws punches against the least dangerous HW titlist : Not interested.

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Originally Posted by ender

1) I am not stressed and if I could not take criticism I wouldn't be a writer ( the process from my PC to the page is a very critique filled one) , I wouldn't identify myself as that writer and I wouldn't put my personal email on all of my articles. If I write passionately , it's because I love to talk fights and debate. Your use of !!! makes it seem like YOU"RE the one that can't take the heat. Weren't you banned by DHB ? Why ? I remember you as a good poster . At least a guy by the same name.

2) Fighting DLH was not a challenge in any way shape or form. The guy started at 135. C'mon.

3) Anyone that didn't think Hopkins could beat Tito doesn't know Boxing. The "experts" love to belive hype and slept on BHOP in my opinion.

4) Hopkins was NOT champion when he fought RJJ. They foguth for the vacant IBF title.

5) Hop was hoping that Taylor was too green to be a threat IMO. He was wrong.

6) The fights that Hop left on the table are waaay better than the fights he actually had. Not denying his accomplishment . 20 defenses is a record that will stand a long time. But look at how long it took to unify. If Tito hadn't been a part of that tournament, he may never have unified. Fighting mandos for the majority of your reign is not risktaking. Fighting Allen 3 times and Hakkar and Carl Daniels is not risk taking.

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lol nerr i use !! a fair bit! lol jus cos it separates the rest of my sentances....
n sorry i was never on doghouse, im strictly saddo im afraid!!
with respect that yes oscar is from the 135 pounds mark, he is so great a fighter he is a risk to any man all the way up to 154, his skill is supreme and i sort of agree with you about it not bieng as big a risk as is percieved but yet dont agree with you in that well to be fair its still a big fights and alot of champs out now just dont take the same competition as bernard did as i wish they would.
i think bernard beating oscar was more to do with styles then it was weight, i think bernard was always very clever in picking his fights well and knowing the game plan, and this is why he has never been embarrassed as a fighter,
also imo i dont believe bernard thought ( or knew) jermaine was as green as he told the press
i think this was just promotion... its not hard to see jermain is a hell of a fighter and that he trains extremely hard for every bout and it came close but bernard didnt get the win,
still if half the champs out today fought the competition and showed the skil bhop did i would be plenty happy...
but fair enough if you see that oleg is not a great enough threat thats your opinion, i tihnk bhops thoughts are at cementing a legacy at this point in time, and lets not forget i am not a writer just a fan so i dont usually either find time or would even know where to go to find whether the wbc are crooked or not, granted like i have already posted its quite a theory a smart theory at that , but yet im not certain about it and i'd be pretty pissed if this were to turn out to be true, way i see it the heavyweight division is not worth much at the moment like you say , and if im honest i dont think oleg will still be champion by the time it comes for bernard to fight him, i believe toney will beat peter (again ;) ) and that bhop will stay retired although i would rather he took a superfight around lightheavy or supermiddle but it seems that wont happen, but like i said earlier all heavywieght fights are a risk especially under these circumstances and probs to bernard for always choosing his bouts carefully.
lol thought i'd tone down the debate since theres debate and theres arguement and we was fringing ;)
peace

I appreciate that. I cool with "fringing" . Good debate is what forums are all about. You can rest assured, I'll never use bad language or attack you personally. never really been my style.

BHOP sparred with Taylor some time before he fought with him. I think based on that , he may decided the kid was too green to be a threat ( especially in the late rounds). Just a theory.


Somebody stole your name. I coulda swore that that name was on there.

I'd rather see Hop against Calzaghe anyday than Hop go to HW .

The HWs are in a decent postion. This is the best group of titlists in years. Throw Toney and Peter into the mix and you have some good matchups.

I don't think Peter loses to Toney this time ( I had Peter up 6-5-1 after the second view on TV . At ringside I had Toney winning
7-4-1) . Ivaylo , Peter's manager, said at the party afterwards that he amazed Peter got through camp. That comment may have spoken to an injury they didn't talk aboutKind of explains the weight ,too. Peter seemd incredibly exhausted at the party.

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Originally Posted by ender

I appreciate that. I cool with "fringing" . Good debate is what forums are all about. You can rest assured, I'll never use bad language or attack you personally. never really been my style.

BHOP sparred with Taylor some time before he fought with him. I think based on that , he may decided the kid was too green to be a threat ( especially in the late rounds). Just a theory.


Somebody stole your name. I coulda swore that that name was on there.

I'd rather see Hop against Calzaghe anyday than Hop go to HW .

The HWs are in a decent postion. This is the best group of titlists in years. Throw Toney and Peter into the mix and you have some good matchups.

I don't think Peter loses to Toney this time ( I had Peter up 6-5-1 after the second view on TV . At ringside I had Toney winning
7-4-1) . Ivaylo , Peter's manager, said at the party afterwards that he amazed Peter got through camp. That comment may have spoken to an injury they didn't talk aboutKind of explains the weight ,too. Peter seemd incredibly exhausted at the party.

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yeh like i said in the last post it would probs be a better idea for bernard to take a superfight at light heavy or super middle ( becuase there arent many big fights at lighheavy)
so that pretty much means joe c. or possibly he could talk someone like winky wright into fighting at super mid, but i dont think theres much chance atall of bernard taking any fight but with oleg.
to be honest im not fond of the current hw champs at the moment but i suppose while thinking of it,
serg is ok,
vitali is big and proven to be a good fighter who takes the big fights
and slowly but surely valuev is gaining some respect as his challengers get better each time
and plus no one cares about maskaev because he has three badass's that want his title bad so its not all bad

about toney -peter thou.... i have been disapointed a fair few times by toney just like everyone else has about his wieght and training problems, but just like in the first peter fight and i feel definately for the next fight he seems to be rededicating himself to training and he looked better for his last fight,
theres talk of a film role which he says is motivation to lose wieght and more time among the fact that i felt like the bad blood between him and peter did him good and gave him motivation he will have even more motivation to get in shape for the rematch , so i expect toney wil be in as good shape as we can see him in for the next fight, and with his fair performance against peter the first time round coupled with my optimism that he will be in great shape for the next fight i feel he will get a compfortable ud this time around imo hes just to slick for sam.
peace

I don't know about the film role but I have heard Toney speak about training with Mackie Shilstone.

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Originally Posted by ender

I don't know about the film role but I have heard Toney speak about training with Mackie Shilstone.

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wow .. now thats big news!!
shit mackie is the man when it comes to conditioning , he gets results!!
in my opinion that is probably the best thing toney could do to get on top of his career at this point, i imagine if he did hook up with mackie he'd come out looking as good as if not better then he did around the time toney fought evander
let us know if anything becomes certain about the mackie stuff
peace

Good write up ender , thanks for sharing your thought ! ;)

Will do. Mackie did say after Hop that he was retired from training fighters but Money talks and he has since rescinded that to help Hop get ready for Maskaev.

I am not sure what mackie could do with Toney. With all the injuries and the weight he has on him, the mateiral to start with may take longer than usual. Mackie genrally starts with guys that are ALREADY in top shape and he pushes them further than that. Not sure if he wants to get Toney INTO shape.

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Originally Posted by Lords Gym

Good write up ender , thanks for sharing your thought ! ;)

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Thanks, man.

Valuve is so freakishly big, its unpleasant to watch him fight, its an awkward watch.. I think Wlad beats him , I also like Peter's chance , mainly because Peter will come from the floor and nail ya. Sam can wing his shots and lunge yet still have power when he does it. Most will disagree with me on this, but I think if Evander gets past Fres and shows he truly is rejuvenated, I would like his chances vs Valuve, because Evander un injured lets his hands go. and that the key, when he gets inside he lets his hands go. and rip to that rib cage. and shoot them uppercuts. Valuve is really a huge target, but most fighters need a step ladder to reach his chin. .. I could go the rest of my life without seeing another one of Valuve's fights to be honest with ya .