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Nikolai Valuev, WBA Heavyweight Champion of the world, had just knocked out Monte Barrett in the eleventh round and everybody around him was in a celebratory and jovial mood. Don King was cackling like only Don King does, “Hah-hah-hah! My Russian Giant! The Eighth Wonder of the World! Hah-hah-hah!”
The scene wouldn’t have been noteworthy except for the fact that Nikolai Valuev is a towering, hulk of humanity that stands over 7’0” tall and weighs nearly 330 pounds. His match against Barrett was unremarkable and it was designed merely to showcase Valuev on an American stage. But because Valuev is the largest human being to ever hold a portion of the heavyweight championship he is a rubbernecker’s fantasy who is gawked at with a peculiar mix of curiosity and awe.
Unbeaten in 45 straight fights and currently boxing’s longest reigning heavyweight titlist he has conquered Europe and now his ringmasters want him to conquer America. Nikolai Valuev, it would seem, should have had a lot to smile about, but on Saturday night in Rosemont, Illinois he appeared to be the saddest person in the room.
There have been other giants that have held the heavyweight championship. Jess Willard held the title from 1915 to 1919. “The Pottawatomie Giant” named after his hometown in Kansas, was 6’6 ¼” and in his prime he tipped the scales at 230 pounds. In 1933, Italy’s Primo Carnera, “The Ambling Alp” held the title for just under a year. At 6’5 ¾” tall, Carnera, at his best, scaled in the neighborhood of 260 pounds . By comparison, Valuev dwarfs both of those monsters and in his enormity he would have outweighed Willard by 100 pounds. [details]
The scene wouldn’t have been noteworthy except for the fact that Nikolai Valuev is a towering, hulk of humanity that stands over 7’0” tall and weighs nearly 330 pounds. His match against Barrett was unremarkable and it was designed merely to showcase Valuev on an American stage. But because Valuev is the largest human being to ever hold a portion of the heavyweight championship he is a rubbernecker’s fantasy who is gawked at with a peculiar mix of curiosity and awe.
Unbeaten in 45 straight fights and currently boxing’s longest reigning heavyweight titlist he has conquered Europe and now his ringmasters want him to conquer America. Nikolai Valuev, it would seem, should have had a lot to smile about, but on Saturday night in Rosemont, Illinois he appeared to be the saddest person in the room.
There have been other giants that have held the heavyweight championship. Jess Willard held the title from 1915 to 1919. “The Pottawatomie Giant” named after his hometown in Kansas, was 6’6 ¼” and in his prime he tipped the scales at 230 pounds. In 1933, Italy’s Primo Carnera, “The Ambling Alp” held the title for just under a year. At 6’5 ¾” tall, Carnera, at his best, scaled in the neighborhood of 260 pounds . By comparison, Valuev dwarfs both of those monsters and in his enormity he would have outweighed Willard by 100 pounds. [details]
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