At seven feet tall and 320 pounds, Nikolai "The Russian Giant" Valuev (44-0, 32 KOs), from St. Petersburg, Russia, is the tallest and heaviest heavyweight champ in history. Promoted as more of a sideshow than a boxer early in his career, he has started to shed the novelty tag in his last three fights. Scoring a unanimous decision victory over slick Larry Donald in October 2005, Valuev got his first shot at the title when he faced John Ruiz for a heavyweight belt two months later. While Ruiz' experience and relentless style made him the favorite, Valuev proved himself with a unanimous decision win. Since that triumph, Valuev, 33, has defended his title once, earning a TKO victory against Owen Beck on June 3. This fight marks just his third appearance on American soil.
Although he gives up nine inches to his Russian opponent, Monte Barrett (31-4, 17 KOs), of Queens, will be highly motivated by the challenge. While carving out a solid career, he has never been able to break through for that one marquee victory. Barrett has shown the ability to take punches and put together effective combinations of his own, most notably in his win over Owen Beck, who was undefeated at the time. A victory over Valuev in their 12-round bout would give Barrett a title and the validation he has sought throughout his decade-long career.
