# Nikolai Valuev

Nikolai Sergeyevich Valuev (Russian: Никола́й Серге́евич Валу́ев, IPA:; born 21 August 1973) is a Russian politician and former professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 1993 to 2009, and held the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title twice between 2005 and 2009. Standing at a height of 2.13 metres (7 feet) and a peak weight of 151 kilograms (333 pounds), Valuev is best known for being the tallest and heaviest world champion in boxing history.

## Biography

Valuev was born on 21 August 1973, in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia). He is of mostly Russian descent, and had a Tatar grandfather. Although his own parents are short—both 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) tall—his Tatar great-grandfather has been described as "of mountainous proportions" and "a warrior giant of Russian folklore." His own size and appearance are due to gigantism complicated by acromegaly.
Valuev is a Russian Orthodox Christian.
Valuev has written a book in Russian called My 12 Rounds, with the help of Russian sports journalist Konstantin Osipov. The book discusses his life in general and his boxing career in particular. For that book, Valuev received an award from the government of Saint Petersburg.
In January 2006, Valuev was accused of assaulting a security guard at the Spartak Ice Palace in Saint Petersburg. No criminal investigation was launched by local police.

## Amateur career
### Highlights

Russian National Championships (+91 kg), Saint Petersburg, Russia, May 1994:
* 1/4: Lost to Alexei Lezin
Goodwill Games (+91 kg), Saint Petersburg, July 1994:
* 1/4: Lost to Alexei Lezin (Russia) on points, 8–+8ut.

## Professional career
### First reign as WBA heavyweight champion

In 2005, Valuev squared off with WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz, and won a twelve-round majority-decision, becoming both the tallest (7 ft or 2.13 m) and heaviest (324 lbs or 147 kg) champion in boxing history.

#### Valuev vs. Chagaev

The title defense was held on 14 April 2007. Chagaev defeated Valuev by a majority decision (117–111, 115–113 and 114–114).
Valuev changed trainers, from Manuel Gabrielian to Alexander Zimin, who coached the old Soviet Union amateur boxing team. On 29 September 2007, Valuev won against Jean-Francois Bergeron in Oldenburg, Germany, by a 12-round unanimous decision (118–111 on all three cards).

### Between title reigns
#### Valuev vs. Liakhovich

On 16 February 2008, in a title eliminator, Valuev defeated former titleholder Siarhei Liakhovich, winning every round at the Nuremberg Arena in Germany. The victory earned Valuev the right to face Chagaev for the WBA title again, the only man who had defeated him in his boxing career.

### Second reign as WBA champion
#### Valuev vs. Ruiz II

He was scheduled to face Chagaev for his WBA title on 5 July 2008, but Chagaev pulled out with an injury. Valuev instead fought John Ruiz for the vacant title on 30 August 2008 and the WBA decided to make Chagaev "Champion In Recess". Valuev defeated Ruiz by unanimous decision to regain the WBA heavyweight championship, with Valuev and Chagaev set to fight no later than 26 June 2009 to determine whom the WBA regarded as their champion. The scores were 114–113, 116–113, and 116–111. The result was initially declared a split decision win for Valuev with the 114–113 score by ringside judge Takeshi Shimakawa was announced in favor of Ruiz rather than for Valuev. One of the scorecards had the names of the fighters in opposite order, resulting in the confusion. The decision was once again unpopular with the live crowd, as some booed the outcome, much like in the first bout.

#### Valuev vs. Holyfield

Valuev's first title defense of his second reign as WBA Champion was against the 46-year-old, four-time heavyweight champion of the world, Evander Holyfield, on 20 December 2008. Before the match, Valuev weighed 310.8 pounds (141 kg), nearly 100 pounds heavier than Holyfield at 214.3 pounds (97 kg). After a rather uneventful match with no knockdowns and few punches thrown by either fighter, Valuev won a widely disputed majority decision. In response to the controversial result the WBA announced plans to investigate the decision.

#### Loss to Haye

In his second defense on 7 November 2009, billed as 'David vs. Goliath', Valuev faced off against former unified and lineal cruiserweight champion David Haye (22-1, 21 KOs) at the Arena Nürnberger Versicherung in Nuremberg. Valuev lost by a majority decision (114–114, 116–112, 116–112).

#### Retirement from boxing and health problems

Valuev announced his retirement from boxing in a Russian newspaper three days after the loss to Haye on 10 November 2009.
In 2010, Valuev's doctor went on record saying that he is treating Valuev for "serious bone and joint problems". Valuev underwent two operations that required at least six months on the sidelines.
Valuev confirmed in 2013 that medical advice was one of the reasons he is not planning to make a comeback in boxing.

## Outside of boxing
### Television career

Valuev's first role in a film was a cameo appearance in the German film 7 Zwerge – Der Wald ist nicht genug in 2006. In 2008, Valuev played the main role in the film Stonehead by Philip Yankovskiy, playing an ex-boxer who lost his memory. The film took the main prize at the film festival "Window to Europe". After the success of Stonehead, it was announced Valuev was being filmed in two new films at the same time.
In August 2016, Valuev became a presenter on Good Night, Little Ones!, Russia's long-running TV program for small children. He replaced Dmitry Malikov as the host.

### Political career

In December 2011 Russian parliamentary election, Valuev became a member of the State Duma through the United Russia Party. On 17 December 2012, Valuev supported the law in the Russian Parliament banning adoption of Russian orphans by citizens of the US.
Following the IOC's decision to suspend Russia from participating in the Olympics under its flag due to the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal, Valuev said that Russia should go to the Olympics and "tear everyone apart to spite these bastards who want to kill our sport."
In September 2022, Valuev revealed he had been drafted to serve in the Russian armed forces.

### Involvement in other sports

In 2011, Valuev became the general manager of the Russia national bandy team, and is tasked with developing the sport in the country. He is also the Vice-President of the Russian Bandy Federation. Bandy is considered a national sport in Russia.

### Nikolai Valuev Boxing School and Youth Sports Foundation

In 2009, Valuev, together with a group of coaches, created the Nikolay Valuev Boxing School, with offices in Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast. The school is divided into three types of age groups: pupils (school terms 3-5), students (terms 6-8), and adults. School pupils participate and compete in various boxing matches, including the "Valuev Cup" youth boxing tournament, which became a regular competition in Saint Petersburg.

## Professional boxing record

| 52 fights | 50 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 35 | 0 |
| By decision | 15 | 2 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round,time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 53 | Loss | 50–2 (1) | David Haye | MD | 12 | 7 Nov 2009 | Nuremberg Arena, Nuremberg, Germany | Lost WBA heavyweight title |
| 52 | Win | 50–1 (1) | Evander Holyfield | MD | 12 | 20 Dec 2008 | Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland | Retained WBA heavyweight title |
| 51 | Win | 49–1 (1) | John Ruiz | UD | 12 | 30 Aug 2008 | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin, Germany | Won vacant WBA heavyweight title |
| 50 | Win | 48–1 (1) | Siarhei Liakhovich | UD | 12 | 16 Feb 2008 | Nuremberg Arena, Nuremberg, Germany | |
| 49 | Win | 47–1 (1) | Jean Francois Bergeron | UD | 12 | 29 Sep 2007 | Small EWE Arena, Oldenburg, Germany | Won NABA heavyweight title |
| 48 | Loss | 46–1 (1) | Ruslan Chagaev | MD | 12 | 14 Apr 2007 | Porsche-Arena, Stuttgart, Germany | Lost WBA heavyweight title |
| 47 | Win | 46–0 (1) | Jameel McCline | RTD | 3 (12), 3:00 | 20 Jan 2007 | St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland | Retained WBA heavyweight title |
| 46 | Win | 45–0 (1) | Monte Barrett | TKO | 11 (12), 2:12 | 7 Oct 2006 | Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois, US | Retained WBA heavyweight title |
| 45 | Win | 44–0 (1) | Owen Beck | TKO | 3 (12), 2:44 | 3 Jun 2006 | TUI Arena, Hanover, Germany | Retained WBA heavyweight title |
| 44 | Win | 43–0 (1) | John Ruiz | MD | 12 | 17 Dec 2005 | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin, Germany | Won WBA heavyweight title |
| 43 | Win | 42–0 (1) | Larry Donald | MD | 12 | 1 Oct 2005 | Small EWE Arena, Oldenburg, Germany | Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 42 | Win | 41–0 (1) | Clifford Etienne | KO | 3 (12) | 14 May 2005 | Oberfrankenhalle, Bayreuth, Germany | Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 41 | Win | 40–0 (1) | Attila Levin | TKO | 3 (12), 2:34 | 12 Feb 2005 | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin, Germany | Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 40 | Win | 39–0 (1) | Gerald Nobles | DQ | 4 (12), 0:42 | 20 Nov 2004 | BigBox, Kempten, Germany | Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title; Nobles disqualified for repeated holding |
| 39 | Win | 38–0 (1) | Paolo Vidoz | TKO | 9 (12), 2:33 | 9 Oct 2004 | Messe, Erfurt, Germany | Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 38 | Win | 37–0 (1) | Richard Igbineghu | TKO | 6 (10), 1:50 | 24 Jul 2004 | Brandenburg-Halle, Frankfurt, Germany | Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental interim heavyweight title |
| 37 | Win | 36–0 (1) | Marcelo Domínguez | UD | 8 | 17 Apr 2004 | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin, Germany | |
| 36 | Win | 35–0 (1) | Dicky Ryan | TKO | 1 (10), 2:43 | 28 Feb 2004 | Mehrzweckhalle, Dresden, Germany | |
| 35 | Win | 34–0 (1) | Otis Tisdale | KO | 1 (8) | 4 Oct 2003 | Stadthalle, Zwickau, Germany | |
| 34 | Win | 33–0 (1) | Bob Mirovic | UD | 8 | 16 Aug 2003 | Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany | |
| 33 | Win | 32–0 (1) | Vitali Shkraba | TKO | 4 (10) | 18 Jul 2003 | State Circus, Minsk, Belarus | |
| 32 | Win | 31–0 (1) | Pedro Daniel Franco | UD | 12 | 15 Mar 2003 | Yubileyny Sports Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia | Retained PABA heavyweight title |
| 31 | Win | 30–0 (1) | Kostiantyn Pryziuk | RTD | 3 (10), 3:00 | 10 Oct 2002 | Casino Conti Giant Hall, Saint Petersburg, Russia | Retained Russian heavyweight title |
| 30 | Win | 29–0 (1) | Taras Bidenko | UD | 12 | 21 Jul 2002 | Seoul, South Korea | Retained PABA heavyweight title |
| 29 | Win | 28–0 (1) | Yaroslav Zavorotnyi | TKO | 3 (10) | 15 Jun 2002 | Druzhba Arena, Donetsk Ukraine | |
| 28 | Win | 27–0 (1) | Toakipa Tasefa | UD | 12 | 28 Sep 2001 | Yubileyny Sports Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia | Retained PABA heavyweight title |
| 27 | Win | 26–0 (1) | George Linberger | TKO | 1 (12), 1:20 | 30 Jun 2001 | Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | Won vacant PABA heavyweight title |
| 26 | Win | 25–0 (1) | Vitali Shkraba | TKO | 4 (8) | 6 Mar 2001 | Arena CSKA, Moscow, Russia | |
| 25 | Win | 24–0 (1) | Tone Fiso | TKO | 1 (12) | 29 Oct 2000 | Yubileyny Sports Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia | Retained PABA interim heavyweight title |
| 24 | Win | 23–0 (1) | Yuriy Yelistratov | UD | 12 | 6 Jun 2000 | Yubileyny Sports Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia | Won vacant PABA interim heavyweight title |
| 23 | Win | 22–0 (1) | Yuri Nikolaev | TKO | 2 (6) | 10 Mar 2000 | Novosibirsk, Russia | |
| 22 | Win | 21–0 (1) | Aleksei Varakin | KO | 1 (12), 1:30 | 15 Dec 1999 | State Circus, Saint Petersburg, Russia | Retained Russian heavyweight title |
| 21 | Win | 20–0 (1) | James McQueen | KO | 1 (6) | 25 Jun 1999 | Prague, Czech Republic | |
| 20 | NC | 19–0 (1) | Andreas Sidon | NC | 6 | 7 May 1999 | Prague, Czech Republic | Referee left the ring before the end of the fight |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | John Tupou | TKO | 4 (6), 1:16 | 13 Feb 1999 | Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Aleksei Osokin | TKO | 6 (10) | 22 Jan 1999 | Casino Conti Giant Hall, Saint Petersburg, Russia | Won vacant Russia heavyweight title |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Evgeny Odolsky | KO | 1 (6) | 19 Dec 1998 | Tundra Bar, Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | James Gaines | UD | 6 | 9 Jun 1998 | State Circus, Moscow, Russia | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Jim Huffman | TKO | 2 (6), 0:37 | 14 Mar 1998 | Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Sinclair Babb | TKO | 1 (6), 2:50 | 6 Dec 1997 | Stockland Stadium, Townsville, Australia | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Alarim Uysal | TKO | 2 | 8 Nov 1997 | Ballsporthalle, Frankfurt, Germany | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Kevin Rosier | KO | 1 | 27 Sep 1997 | State Circus, Moscow, Russia | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Aug Tanuvasa | TKO | 1 (6), 2:44 | 21 Aug 1997 | Bankstown RSL Club, Sydney, Australia | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Rodney Harris | PTS | 4 | 26 Jul 1997 | Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Terrell Nelson | TKO | 2 (4), 1:26 | 31 May 1997 | Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Manao Navuilawa | TKO | 1 (4), 1:24 | 9 May 1997 | Bankstown Sports Club, Sydney, Australia | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Patrick Slade | TKO | 1 (4), 1:59 | 21 Mar 1997 | Parramatta RSL Club, Sydney, Australia | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Darren Fearn | RTD | 1 (6), 3:00 | 26 Nov 1996 | York Hall, London, England | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Neil Kirkwood | TKO | 2 (4) | 8 Oct 1996 | Battersea Town Hall, London, England | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Sergei Anikeev | KO | 2 (4) | 16 Feb 1995 | State Circus, Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Aleksei Tsygankov | KO | 3 (4) | 15 Apr 1994 | State Circus, Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Aleksandr Vasiliev | PTS | 4 | 22 Feb 1994 | State Circus, Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | John Morton | TKO | 2 (4) | 15 Oct 1993 | Sporthalle, Schöneberg, Germany | |

## Filmography

* 2001: The town – issue #89
* 2003: Playing without rules – cameo
* 2006: 7 Zwerge – Der Wald ist nicht genug – cameo
* 2008: Rock Head – Yegor Golovin "Rock Head"
* 2009: Path – a prisoner nicknamed "The Beast"
* 2009: Fight without rules – Nicholas Shafts
* 2011: Antique Watches – cameo
* 2013: Bigfoot Files – himself