Nicolay Valuev Hits New York

King’s Kong and the tower of power

The WBA heavyweight champion Nicolay Valuev, courtesy his promoter Don King, has a September date at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

“I’m King and I’ve found my Kong,” King told Ant Evans at SecondsOut. “It is going to be a great evening for the Russian communities of Long Island and New York and boxing fans who have been dying to see this gigantic, super-sensational sized heavyweight live and in living color.”

Many are curious about Valuev, eager to decipher the hype from what’s legit, and maybe seeing the Beast from the East in action against a real live opponent will establish the big man’s bona fides once and for all, his championship belt notwithstanding.

“This giant will be fighting a New Yorker of some sort, declared King. We are looking at Shannon Briggs, Monte Barrett or even making Irish eyes smile by giving Kevin McBride a big opportunity. All those fights would be tremendous for New York. And to see this giant to step over the rope at Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena, will be history.”

We’ve got nothing against one-time contenders like Briggs, Barrett or McBride, per se, maybe even one of them can get by Valuev’s reach and land a meaningful punch, but in the age of splintered titles, those of us who care about boxing above and beyond the bottom line would welcome a unification bout of some sort, not just another rudimentary fix for our hunger for spectacle.

DK said he thinks Valuev can become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and bring the kind of excitement value of a George Foreman or Mike Tyson did. As long as he keeps walking the walk, keeps on improving and adding new things to his boxing game then this guy has all the ingredients to really make people talk about him and identify with him.

Those who can identify with a Russian over seven feet tall and 300 lbs. please raise your hands.

“He’s a giant with a personality, added King, he defends the honor of ladies, he helps old ladies across the road.

The wild-haired promoter could sell snow to the Eskimos in the dead of winter, so selling Valuev to U.S. fight fans should be a lead-pipe cinch.