By John Hively
By defeating Monte Barrett on October 7th via an eleventh round stoppage, Nikolai Valuev has shown that he is improving, and that he may yet become a formidable force in the heavyweight division. He’s not quite there yet.
Defeating Barrett is a sign that a fighter actually has the potential to be a top ten heavyweight. Losing to him is a signal that a boxer just doesn’t have that type of promise. Beating Monte showed that the Russian just might be a legitimate contender.
Yeah, it’s true Valuev received a decision over a possibly fading but still rated John Ruiz last December, but many observers were of the opinion that the wrong guy was given the nod in that one. Likewise, a lot of witnesses were of the opinion that Larry Donald, nothing more than a trial horse heavyweight, had boxed the ears off Valuev just before the gigantic Russian fought Ruiz.
In defeating Ruiz, the Russian became the owner of the World Boxing Association heavyweight championship. The alleged win made him an instant contender for the real heavyweight title, which is now splintered among four theoretical champions.
The choice of Owen Beck in his first defense last June suggests that Valuev’s management team may have desired the opportunity to enhance the Russian’s skills before throwing him in with more skilled opponents such as Lamon Brewster, Waldimir Klitschko, Serguei Lyakhovich and perhaps Chris Byrd.
At seven feet in altitude and 325 pounds, Nikolai possesses extensive physical advantages over his potential rivals. However, the reality is that at this very top level, skills, speed and experience matter more than just weight and height, and in this respect, the Russian colossus is at a significant disadvantage vis-à-vis these other fighters; And so he patiently plods along against the likes of Beck and Barrett, slowly enhancing his skills that will improve his chances in the future battles that will eventually determine who the next heavyweight champion really is.
Before being thrown in with the biggest, baddest and most hungry lions of today, Valuev might consider stepping up in the quality of his opponents. If he takes on someone in the next defense of his mythological championship rated no better, or perhaps less, than Barrett, such an excursion will not help him prepare to be the best in the world. In fact, it might hurt his chances, and it would also suggest that he might not be among the very best in the world.
Jameel McCline may just be the perfect foe for the Russian’s next defense. McCline has plenty of skills; He only lacks confidence. And at six and a half feet tall and 270 pounds, he may be the closest to Valuev in terms of size among the top twenty heavyweights.
This should prove to be an intriguing match because Jameel would have a really good chance to win. He is not a big brawling puncher. Instead, McCline likes to stick and move, and use his jab to great effect. In some respects, he is a bigger and better version of Larry Donald, and certainly has more career accomplishments. If anything, a fight with Jameel would allow Valuev to show us how much or how little he really has improved during the past year.
Likewise, a bout between Chris Byrd and the giant might prove to be interesting in this regard. Byrd is smaller than McCline, and he certainly is somewhat past his prime, but he has been more successful against the big boys than Jameel, and so he still might prove tough against the less elusive Russian bear. If Ruiz could take Valuev down to the wire, then so too could a rejuvenated Byrd. Unless the Russian has improved significantly since last December, it is difficult to envision him a likely winner against Chris. But such a suggestion assumes that Byrd is close to being the same fighter that defeated McCline and many others not so long ago.
Another good match would be to pit Fres Oquendo against the Colossus. Fres is a boxer, plain and simple, and for the same reasons listed above for McCline and Byrd, it is possible that this relatively inactive fighter could box the ears off the Russian, assuming, of course, that Nikolai hasn’t improved all that much.
The next bout is up to the Russian and his team. Will it be against another Owen Beck or Monte Barrett type? Both of them are good fighters, but not real contenders. Or will these folks roll the dice based on some improvements in Valuev’s skills and take on somebody a little more talented? Who they choose for his next opponent will tell us much about the potential of the Russian Colossus in future battles against his primary rivals. Is he a false alarm or the real thing? Hopefully, we should know in his next bout or two