Nikolai Valuev suffered the first defeat of his career against a fighter almost a foot smaller than him.
On November 7, 2009, the towering heavyweight fell short against David Haye, inside the Nuremberg Arena in Germany.
The Brit produced a sparkling performance, with Haye rocking Valuev en route to winning the heavyweight world title.
While the bout was billed ‘David vs Goliath’, two years earlier, the tallest champion in boxing history lost to an even smaller legend.
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Ruslan Chagaev overcame huge size disadvantage against Nikolai Valuev
On April 14, 2007, Nikolai Valuev attempted to defend his WBA world title against Ruslan Chagaev at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany.
With ‘The Russian Giant’ standing at 7ft, and the Uzbekistani at 6ft1 (two inches smaller than Haye), Valuev was understandably a huge favorite.
Despite the imposing nature of his opponent, Chagaev entered the fight with a game plan designed to negate his rival’s advantages.
With Valuev 46-0 at the time and closing in on Rocky Marciano’s undefeated record, the challenger was intent on tearing up the script.
Utilizing his superior speed and movement, the underdog was able to bob and weave under the champion’s jab.
Chagaev bounced around the ring, constantly changing direction, leaving Valuev in a state of confusion.
After producing an exemplary boxing display, Chagaev walked away with a unanimous decision victory.
Nikolai Valuev defeated Evander Holyfield in a controversial fight
After losing to Chagaev, Valuev rebuilt, reclaiming his belt in a fight for the vacant strap against John Ruiz.
In his following contest, he put his title on the line against Evander Holyfield.
The match-up served as an opportunity for the powerhouse to defeat a future Hall of Famer.
In a highly controversial clash, Valuev claimed a win against Holyfield.