By Eric Thomas: Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (42-9-2, 27 KOs) will be getting a second chance at a heavyweight title in a little more than a year, this time against World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev (49-1, 34 KOs) on December 20th at the at Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland.
Holyfield, now 46, lost his last fight, a 12-round unanimous decision loss to heavyweight Sultan Ibragimov in October 2007.
By Eric Thomas: According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (42-9-2, 27 KOs) is going to get yet another shot at a heavyweight title, this time against WBA heavyweight title holder Nikolay Valuev in a title shot on December 20th. The location isn’t known at this time, but it will probably take place in Germany where Valuev, 35, fights most of his bouts. Holyfield reportedly hasn’t yet signed the contract for the fight but is having his attorney review it, according to ESPN. If Holyfield does end up taking the fight, which is very likely, he will be 46 by then, making him one of the oldest title challengers of all time.
He hasn’t fought since losing a one-sided decision to WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov last October. It would seem almost beyond belief that Holyfield would be given another shot considering he’s not fought in a year, and has done nothing to deserve a shot at a title. Six years ago, in December 2002, Holyfield also lost in a title bid against Chris Byrd for the vacant IBF title, getting beaten easily by Byrd in another one-sided decision loss. It’s been an incredible seven years since Holyfield last held a title, losing his WBA heavyweight title after only one fight, getting beaten by John Ruiz in March 2001.
By Aaron Klein: Two-time champion John Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KOs) said that we would be seeing the new Ruiz, one that no longer clinched constantly like earlier in his career. However, after watching Ruiz lose a 12-round unanimous decision to former World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev (49-1, 34 , in a bout which seemed to include at least one clinch after every punch landed, I can’t see much that changed of the 36 year-old Ruiz’s style of fighting. It was just as dull, if not more so, that it had always been for most of his long boxing career.
In the end, Ruiz didn’t have the energy, style or power to give the 7’0″ 320 pound Valuev much of a fight. Forget about the ridiculous -114-113, 116-113 and 116-111 – scores that were handed down by the judges. The fight was terribly one-sided with Valuev, 35, winning almost every round of the fight with ease. However, now that it’s over one has to ask what will come of Ruiz?
By Erik Schmidt: With both fighters professing to have made great changes to their style of fighting, both weighed in on Friday for their bout for the vacant World Boxing Association heavyweight title on Saturday night at the Max Schmeling Halle, Prenzlauer Berg, in Berlin, Germany. The second foot Valuev weighed in at 317.7, while the shorter 6’2″ Ruiz weighed 238.9, 78 pounds lighter than the Russian giant. However, in their first fight in December 2005, Valuev outweighed Ruiz by 87 lbs, so this is hardly a new experience for Ruiz.
As for what Valuev’s secret plan for defeating Ruiz, expect Valuev to put more pressure on him, hoping to where the shorter fighter out with shots. In the last fight, Ruiz was allowed to dictate the distance of the fight, in which he constantly moved in and out of range, hitting Valuev when he pleased. Valuev did well under the circumstances, and was able to nail Ruiz often both coming and going, as well as at a distance. However, Ruiz proved effective at coming in quickly for furious exchanges with the much slower Valuev, hitting him cleanly quite often. It’s unclear what could have changed since then for Valuev, because he’s now three years older and probably even slower than he was back then.
By Chris Williams: Former two-time heavyweight champion John Ruiz (43-7-1, 29 KOs) and former World Boxing Association champion Nikolay Valuev (48-1, 34 KOs) go at for the vacant WBA heavyweight belt this Saturday night in a 12-round title bout at the Max Schmeling Halle, Prenzlauer Berg, in Berlin, Germany. The winner, unfortunately, has to fight the champion in recess Ruslan Chagaev who twice previously has had to postpone title bouts against Valuev, once for an illness and another title due to a torn Achilles tendon of Chagaev’s left ankle. Like the often injury-plagued Vitali Klitschko, it will be interesting to see if Chagaev makes into a title bout against the winner of Ruiz-Valuev without getting injured or sick once again.
There’s still bad blood between Ruiz and Valuev due to an earlier controversial bout between them in December 2005, in which Valuev won a 12-round majority decision in front of his home audience in Germany. By many people’s opinions that saw the fight, Ruiz had done enough due to his harder punches to win the fight and get the decision.
By Scott Gilfoid: With his new offensive style, former heavyweight champion John Ruiz (43-7, 29 KOs) hopes to recapture his WBA heavyweight championship on August 30th against 300 lb, seven-foot giant Nikolai Valuev (48-1, 34 KOs) at the Max Schmeling Halle, Prenzlauer Berg, in Berlin, Germany. The two fighters will be battling it out for the vacant WBA title, which was made possible after WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev sustained an injury, preventing him from defending his title against mandatory challenger Valuev. This was the second cancellation for a title defense for Chagaev, and instead of being stripped of his title, the WBA allowed Valuev and Ruiz to fight it out for the vacant title, with the winner to fight to the champion in recess Chagaev, if he’s able to make it into the ring without being ill or injured yet again.
Ruiz, 36, has been fighting rather well of late, having won his last two fights and changed his style of fighting altogether. Ruiz’s old style of fighting, which consisted of punching and grabbing, is no longer part of his offensive game. Instead, he’s gone back to his old style of fighting early in his career when he was more noted for slugging it out with his opponents. However, it will be interesting to see if Ruiz has the size to use his new style of fighting against the bear-like size of Valuev, who even though he’s not a particularly hard puncher, he has a way of clubbing his opponents into submission with his big mauling swings.
By Jim Dower: Former WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev (48-1, 34 KOs) will be trying to recapture his title when he goes up against his old nemesis John Ruiz (43-7, 29 KOs) late on this month on August 30th, at the Max Schmeling Halle, Prenzlauer Berg, in Berlin, Germany. Valuev, 34, previously defeated Ruiz in a close 12-round majority decision to take his title three years ago in Berlin. Now he’ll be attempting to repeat the act with another victory over the 36 year-old Ruiz, who himself is coming off two impressive victories over Otis Tisdale and 6’6″ journeyman Jameel McCline, and has looked sharp in both fights.
Indeed, Ruiz looks nothing like he used to last time they fought. No longer does Ruiz clinch constantly in his fights, something that he has taken a lot of head about from boxing fans and in the media. Ruiz has revamped his entire offense, turning into more of a counter puncher, and has adapted well to his new style of fighting. He’s so confident with his new style that he’s said that he’ll make a donation to charity if he ends up holding more than Valuev in the fight. Ruiz doesn’t want to go back to the old style, which seemed to detract from many of his fine performances.
By Jason Kim: IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) is looking into the possibility of fighting the winner of the August 30th bout between Nikolay Valuev (48-1) and John Ruiz (43-7-1, 29 KOs), who are fighting for the WBA interim title. According to reports, Klitschko’s bout against his IBF number #1 mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin (16-0, 12 KOs) has reached a stalemate in negotiations over the purse split and European broadcast rights between Klitschko and Povetkin’s promoter. Unless something is worked out, Wladimir say seek out another alternative and try and face the winner of the Valuev-Ruiz fight instead.
Klitschko would much prefer fighting the 7-foot Valuev, which would be a fight that would give Klitschko another title to add to his collection of two others, while at the same time giving him a big name opponent that would likely sell very well around the world, especially in Europe where Valuev is well known and liked. First things first, however, Valuev must get by Ruiz, whom he narrowly defeated by a 12-round majority decision in December 2005 to capture his WBA heavyweight title.
By Scott Gilfoid: Former WBA heavyweight champions John Ruiz (43-7-1, 29 KOs) and Nikolay Valuev (48-1, 34 KOs) will fight for the vacant WBA heavyweight title on August 30th at Max Schmeling Halle, Prenzlauer Berg, in Berlin, Germany. The title was vacated by WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev who has been struck down several times with serious illnesses and injuries causing him to cancel two title defenses and a planned unification bout. Chagaev’s latest medical problem, a tear of his Achilles tendon, caused a second cancellation of his title defense against Valuev which had been previously scheduled for July 5th.
Ruiz, 36 and Valuev previously met in December 2005, when Valuev took a controversial 12-round majority decision over Ruiz to take his title in a fight fought in Germany. The final decision, however, seemed not to match the actual fight that took place for Ruiz landed the harder shots and appeared to dominate most, if not all, of the exchanges that took place in the fight. The location of the bout, fought in Germany where Valuev, 34, is currently promoted, seemed to lead to more speculation by boxing fans that Ruiz had been the victim of a home town decision. Despite the controversy surrounding the outcome of the fight, Ruiz was never given a rematch with Valuev – until now.
By Erik Schmidt: The WBA has come out today with announcement giving their undefeated heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev (24-0-1, 17 KOs) until June 26th 2009 to heal from his injuries and make a title defense against his number #1 challenger Nikolay Valuev (48-1, 34 KOs). Last month, Chagaev, 29, suffered a tear in his left Achilles tendon, making it necessary for him to cancel his bout with Valuev. This was the second cancellation with Valuev, and the third overall for Chagaev since winning the WBA heavyweight title in April of 2007 with a 12-round majority decision victory over Valuev.
In the meantime, Valuev and John Ruiz, the #2 rated challenger in the WBA, are free to meet for the regular WBA heavyweight title, with the winner of that fight to meet Chagaev, considered to be the “champion in recess” for the title no later than June 26th 2009. Clearly, this is a move that will please all, for there were many people who felt that Chagaev should have been stripped of his title long ago for his two previous cancellations, and with the latest one last month, it was like throwing fuel on the fire. However, Chagaev’s recent injury had nothing to do with the two prior cancellations, so it made sense for the WBA to let him continue to hold onto the title until he heeled from the injury, letting him then take on the winner of the regular title.