Towering Valuev makes Haye look like a lightweight
Russian heavyweight boxer and current holder of the World Boxing Association (WBA) title Nikolai Valuev (L) and British heavyweight boxer David Haye pose after a news conference in Nuremberg September 22, 2009.
Credit: Reuters/Michaela Rehle
BERLIN (Reuters) - Towering world heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev weighed in seven stones (98 pounds) heavier than Britain's David Haye ahead of their WBA title bout in Nuremberg on Saturday.
The challenger took to the scales at 15 stones eight pounds, his heaviest ever, with the Germany-based Russian weighing in lighter than usual at 22 stones eight pounds.
Former world cruiserweight champion Haye, who takes a 21-1 record into the bout with the 'Beast from the East', is almost a foot shorter than his seven foot opponent.
Valuev is the tallest and heaviest world champion of all time and has yet to be floored or knocked out in his 16-year professional career, with only one defeat in 51 bouts.
"They call him David versus Goliath," American boxing promoter Don King told Sky Sports News. "The only thing that is wrong is that David left his stones in his slingshot in the UK. So he's in trouble."
(Writing by Alan Baldwin in London; Editing by Sonia Oxley)
