Valuev's Marketability in North America

[Memorex]

theres always a market for a giant that looks like a monster

[STEELHEAD]

i can see it now. king gets valuev to sport a leopard skin and bear boots and calls him a neanderthal because he has a little neanderthal dna in his chromosones.

toney barefoot and wearing a grass skirt with a monkey head ban.


billed as modern man straight out of africa against primate man.

[Bozo_no no]

They'd have to match Valuev carefully, because he's primed to be exposed at anytime.

[Dirt E Gomez]

Valuev has a lot of marketability. The average sports fan has no idea how he won the fight against Ruiz... the only thing the average sports fan knows about the fight against Ruiz is that the trainers got in fisticuffs afterwards. You can advertise it as almost a freak show and people will watch. Watching a man taller than 7 feet (regardless of how ****ty his punches actually are) will draw audiences almost expecting to see him eat his opponent in the ring. They'll have their money taken before they realize what happens.

[Fareastwarrior]

Valuev has a marketability in North-America for the ugliest and slowest fake worldchampion. This guy makes the heavyweight division and the WBA as the biggest joke of the boxing world.

[Famoso Matador]

I think Don King had this planned all along. No one wants to see Ruiz his style is not entertaining. Im sure Don has some options with valuev now. Imagine this monster in the US in a heavyweight tournament. Weather or not Valuev fights in the states, i think King will make money off him, because he will be a big draw in europe.
On a side note i dont think King will get his tournament together any time soon. I think Byrd is refusing to be part of it, and Rahman is no longer under Kings control is now being promoted by Top Rank.

[LondonRingRules]

King was all over Valuev, smiling, talking about bringing him to America. I'm sure he has a promotional agreement with Sauerland and I can see matching Valuev against Toney after Toney loses to Rahman in a David/Goliath promotion, though it's hard to imagine anyone casting an ugly foul mouthed tub of lard like Toney as David. No, Golota is too dangerous to match against Valuev. Probably his first defense is gonna be someone like Saul Montana, hoping that Valuev will have a KO defense going into the fight against squat looser Toney on his deathbed in his last attempt at greatness.

********* ranks Valuev #2 now, ahead of TONEY because Valuev has whoooped better fighters than Toney!

[tri4ben2]

If there is anything I have ever learned from watching fighting sports is that there will always be an audiance for guys that are freakishly big.

If basketball fans can have a place in their hearts for a Manute Bol or a Georghe Murisan, fighting fans can have a place for Valuev.

In K1 there are already marginally competiant guys that are 7 feet tall or slightly smaller. Schilt, Choi, and Nortje are all 6'11 or taller and they are marginally competant, just like our boy Valuev. People watch them for their size, not their technique or their personality.

[medium-deek]

You got to be a ****ing ****** if you think this Russian has no marketability in the USA. The fact that he has the title, but more so the very size of the guy means he can make an absolute mint in the USA. FFS, this is ****ing America. Anything is possible there. The land of opportunity. With Don King at your side (whether you love King or hate him is irrelevant), King is one of the most powerful boxing promoters and one the most recognisble men in America, Valuev can have America it his feet. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't end up in a brief stint on WWE or a cameo in a Hollywood movie playing a bodyguard or something.

[Derranged_]

Politics of the decision aside,

What do you think the response will be to a marketing campaign with Valuev introduced to an American audience?

If King were to put Valuev in with someone like Golota in Vegas and bill it to the casual fans who may not be familar with him as a "Giant" now on the Heavyweght scene, does it boost the populary and interest in the Heavyweight division?

I had wondered about Kings interest in the outcome of this fight thinking he maybe felt Valuev's freakish size might = a cash cow.

If Toney beats Rahman like he should, imagine all the David and Goliath non sense he could muster in that match up.

If Valuev were knocking guys out, like he should, then he'd have a little more marketability then he has now. You'd think that a guy who's over 7 feet tall and over 300 lbs and with a huge reach advantage, would knock more of his opponents out.