Nikolay Valuev (Russian: Николай Валуев) (b. August 21, 1973) is the first Russian professional and the current WBA heavyweight champion. He is the largest and heaviest champion of all time, and may be the largest competitive heavyweight boxer ever, standing at 2m 13cm (7'0") tall and weighing as much as 150kg (330lb). August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Valuev's alias used to be "the Beast from the East" but now he prefers to be styled "The Russian Giant." With victories over Bob Mirovic, Otis Tisdale, Paolo Vidoz, Gerald Nobles, and Attila Levin, Valuev propelled himself into a posistion to fight for a world title. In August 2005 Valuev was rated by major boxing sanctioning bodies as #2 by WBA, #8 by WBC, and #6 by IBF. On December 17, 2005, he squared off with WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz, and won a controversial twelve round majority-decsion. This victory came after narrowly defeating Larry Donald on points in the title elimination bout. Like the Ruiz bout, many experts felt that Larry Donald had done enough to win. 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World Boxing Association (WBA) is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level. ... The World Boxing Council (WBC) has operated since 1963 as a competitor to Venezuelas World Boxing Association (WBA) and, according to its founders, a way to improve professional boxings standards. ... The International Boxing Federation, or IBF, is one of many organizations which sanction championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC, WBO, and a dozen or so others. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Despite his imposing size and unblemished record, many boxing experts and writers are still in doubt about Valuev's ability as a boxer, and some have labeled him as a "freak show." Although his current record stands at 43-0 with 31 KOs many of his early fights were against notably lesser opponents and his best, most recent, victories are unconvincing.

External links

• Personal page from promoter
• Official personal site
• Boxing record