King talks about Valuevs future and...Led Zepplin?

Valuev in Chicago! September 1, 2006 By Jacob Chavez Seven-foot reigning WBA champion Nikolai Valuev (44-0, 32 KOs) made his first stop in Chicago, promoting his upcoming fight against veteran Monte "2 Guns" Barrett (31-4, 17 KOs). The press conference was befittingly held at the Sky Deck of the Sears Tower - the tallest building on the western hemisphere. Accompanied by his lovely wife, team, promoter and the always vocal Don King, Valuev appeared to be in good spirits as he kicked things off with some poses picking up a miniature model of the building. The card billed "Red October" will take place in the Allstate Arena on October 7th. King who is co-promoting the event was the first to speak and as he approached the podium with a smile he commended both the great building and fighter. "We are on the Stairway to Heaven. This is the highest press conference we have ever held." King also took his usual role of the great orator by praising everybody from late President Reagan to the current Commander in Chief to even the Sears Tower's managers. "Valuev is going to capture the hearts and affection of the American People" said King as he refocused on the man he has dubbed "The 8th wonder of the world." The manager of Valuev, Wilfried Sauerland provided a bit of insight on why after nearly 13 years, the US is finally getting a first real glimpse of the towering Russian. "Nikolai has had his ups and downs in his career; he has gone through different managers and promoters." Valuev and his camp feel the right people are in the mix now and the sky's the limit. He is undefeated and has never been knocked down and they claim that with his newfound level of comfort and his improvement with every fight, he is definitely a force to be reckoned with. "We feel it is the right time to come to America," exclaimed Sauerland. His first big test will pin Valuev against Monte "Two Gunz" Barrett who has not fought for approximately one year. Coincidentally, he last fought Hasim Rahman and lost by way of unanimous decision in Chicago. Barrett did not attend the media event but a short video was shown featuring both fighters' greatest moments in the ring. Barrett was also shown dishing out a bit of trash talking and showing great confidence. "Barrett looks very slim and trim. I saw him at the HBO shooting and I know he will make it a great fight" reassured Sauerland. When asked why Barrett was chosen as the opponent for Valuev and perhaps not somebody more intriguing, King quickly responded that "Barrett had the nerve to take the fight." King then proceeded to point out that Wladimir Klitschko has used his dislike for King as his excuse for not wanting to fight Valuev. "He is afraid!," said King. "Why not fight and shut me up? Why would he let me keep talking and stay on top?" King also brought up the legal problems he has been having with WBC light heavyweight champ Tomasz Adamek who has filed a suit against King for lack of fighting opportunities. Adamek was announced as being on the undercard for a rematch against Australian Paul Briggs. The two fought a grueling 12 rounds last May, also in Chicago, with Adamek winning the WBC title. Adamek has since fought only once in late last year and has yet to face an opponent in 2006. Should that fight be dropped from the card, it would truly be a loss as both combatants showed what true grit really is in the ring. That however, is yet to be seen. "Adamek will need to drop his lawsuit because I got him a fight. I went down to Australia and spoke to aborigines to get to Paul Briggs. If he does not do what he said he was going to do, he will not fight," stated King. When it was the mild-mannered giant's turn to talk, he made no predictions about how the Barrett fight would turn out other than a victory. He explained how after coming from a working family and humble beginnings, something like standing at the podium for such a great event in such a magnificent setting is a dream come true. "I could not imagine being here 13 years ago. The happiness I feel right now is as broad as the horizon I see. I never would have imagined there were buildings this tall in the world." Valuev also offered sympathy to all Americans for the tragedy of September 11 and expressed how much of an honor it is to be a fighter here in "the mecca of boxing." He also spoke of how well prepared he will be the night of the fight and his plans to conquer the division. The confidence and excitement King emoted in Valuev was quite impressive. And with all current heavyweight champions being from the former Soviet Union, one has to wonder what future American fighters hold in the division. Valuev had a simple explanation for the phenomenon."Today we win, tomorrow Americans win." King was a bit more candid as he explained that today's American heavyweights have lost their passion and try to "defy the odds" by cutting corners during training and being overly concerned with networks and venues. "Russians prepare harder!" If King's observations are correct, we may see the dominance from overseas last much longer than what was previously thought. Along with the possible rematch between Adamek (30-0, 21 KOs) and Paul Briggs (25-2, 18 KOs), fight fans will be treated to a solid undercard. Lightweight Matt Zegan (37-1, 21 KOs) will take on Nate Campbell (28-5, 24 KOs), and heavyweight Mike Mollo (16-1, 11 KOs) will step up in competition as he matches up against Mike Tyson-conqueror, Kevin McBride (34-4-1, 29 KOs). Tickets for this event are priced at $250, $200, $100, $75, $50, and $35, with a limited number of golden circle seats available at $500, on sale now at the Allstate Arena box office (847-635-6601), online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone by calling 312-559-1212. ill take valuev, barret hasnt fought in almost a year. don king is such an idiot. i cant wait for him to leave the buisness. via fight news