The beginning of a new age in Heavyweight Boxing

[Mikkel_K]

To the casual boxing fan, who is Sultan Ibragimov? He came out of nowhere and beat a placeholder for a belt and he doesn't look like anything. It's sad, but true that perception does matter. You could show me a picture of Ibragimov ten times and I could easily forget his face twelve times. He doesn't look menacing; he looks like some guy you might walk by in a mall.

and

We liked Mike Tyson because he looked menacing, was menacing. We liked Ali for his big mouth. We liked George Foreman because he was a monster. I really don't know how much of a black/white thing it is but something with those fighters doesn't translate over to Saturday's combatants.

Good points. FWIW I (am in the minority) who actually believes guys like Valuev are great for the sport. Exactly due to these reasons - he may not be a great fighter, but he sure looks menacing, and he is instantly recognisable. Two very important ingredients in becoming 'the baddest man on the planet', which the Heavyweight Champion of the world should always be regarded as.

Now, of course there is the small problem that Valuev will get his head smashed in if he ever meets Wlad, but you probably still get what I'm getting at.