Valuev was born on 21 August 1973, in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia).4 His parents are short—both 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) tall—, unlike his Tatar ancestor "of mountainous proportions", and Valuev has denied that his own size is due to medical issues such as gigantism complicated by acromegaly, instead arguing for it being a question of genetics.5
Valuev is a Russian Orthodox Christian.6
Valuev has written a book in Russian called My 12 Rounds, with the help of Russian sports journalist Konstantin Osipov.7 The book discusses his life in general and his boxing career in particular. For that book, Valuev received an award from the government of Saint Petersburg.8
In January 2006, Valuev was accused of assaulting a security guard at the Spartak Ice Palace in Saint Petersburg. No criminal investigation was launched by local police.9
Russian National Championships (+91 kg), Saint Petersburg, Russia, May 1994:
Goodwill Games (+91 kg), Saint Petersburg, July 1994:
Main article: John Ruiz vs. Nikolai Valuev
In 2005, Valuev squared off with WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz, and won a twelve-round majority-decision, becoming both the tallest (7 ft or 2.13 m) and heaviest (324 lbs or 147 kg) champion in boxing history.10
Main article: Nikolai Valuev vs. Ruslan Chagaev
The title defense was held on 14 April 2007. Chagaev defeated Valuev by a majority decision (117–111, 115–113 and 114–114).
Valuev changed trainers, from Manuel Gabrielian to Alexander Zimin, who coached the old Soviet Union amateur boxing team. On 29 September 2007, Valuev won against Jean-Francois Bergeron in Oldenburg, Germany, by a 12-round unanimous decision (118–111 on all three cards).11
On 16 February 2008, in a title eliminator, Valuev defeated former titleholder Siarhei Liakhovich, winning every round at the Nuremberg Arena in Germany.12 The victory earned Valuev the right to face Chagaev for the WBA title again, the only man who had defeated him in his boxing career.
Main article: Nikolai Valuev vs. John Ruiz II
He was scheduled to face Chagaev for his WBA title on 5 July 2008, but Chagaev pulled out with an injury. Valuev instead fought John Ruiz for the vacant title on 30 August 2008 and the WBA decided to make Chagaev "Champion In Recess". Valuev defeated Ruiz by unanimous decision to regain the WBA heavyweight championship, with Valuev and Chagaev set to fight no later than 26 June 2009 to determine whom the WBA regarded as their champion.13 The scores were 114–113, 116–113, and 116–111. The result was initially declared a split decision win for Valuev with the 114–113 score by ringside judge Takeshi Shimakawa was announced in favor of Ruiz rather than for Valuev. One of the scorecards had the names of the fighters in opposite order, resulting in the confusion. The decision was once again unpopular with the live crowd, as some booed the outcome, much like in the first bout.
Main article: Nikolai Valuev vs. Evander Holyfield
Valuev's first title defense of his second reign as WBA Champion was against the 46-year-old, four-time heavyweight champion of the world, Evander Holyfield, on 20 December 2008. Before the match, Valuev weighed 310.8 pounds (141 kg), nearly 100 pounds heavier than Holyfield at 214.3 pounds (97 kg).14 After a rather uneventful match with no knockdowns and few punches thrown by either fighter, Valuev won a widely disputed majority decision.1516 In response to the controversial result the WBA announced plans to investigate the decision.17
Main article: Nikolai Valuev vs. David Haye
In his second defense on 7 November 2009, billed as 'David vs. Goliath', Valuev faced off against former unified and lineal cruiserweight champion David Haye (22-1, 21 KOs) at the Arena Nürnberger Versicherung in Nuremberg. Valuev lost by a majority decision (114–114, 116–112, 116–112).18
Valuev announced his retirement from boxing in a Russian newspaper three days after the loss to Haye on 10 November 2009.
In 2010, Valuev's doctor went on record saying that he is treating Valuev for "serious bone and joint problems".19 Valuev underwent two operations that required at least six months on the sidelines.
Valuev confirmed in 2013 that medical advice was one of the reasons he is not planning to make a comeback in boxing.20
Valuev's first role in a film was a cameo appearance in the German film 7 Zwerge – Der Wald ist nicht genug in 2006.21 In 2008, Valuev played the main role in the film Stonehead by Philip Yankovskiy, playing an ex-boxer who lost his memory.22 The film took the main prize at the film festival "Window to Europe".23 After the success of Stonehead, it was announced Valuev was being filmed in two new films at the same time.24
In August 2016, Valuev became a presenter on Good Night, Little Ones!, Russia's long-running TV program for small children.25 He replaced Dmitry Malikov as the host.
In December 2011 Russian parliamentary election, Valuev became a member of the State Duma through the United Russia Party. On 17 December 2012, Valuev supported26 the law in the Russian Parliament banning adoption of Russian orphans by citizens of the US.
Following the IOC's decision to suspend Russia from participating in the Olympics under its flag due to the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal, Valuev said that Russia should go to the Olympics and "tear everyone apart to spite these bastards who want to kill our sport."27
In September 2022, Valuev revealed he had been drafted to serve in the Russian armed forces.28
In 2011, Valuev became the general manager of the Russia national bandy team, and is tasked with developing the sport in the country.29 He is also the Vice-President of the Russian Bandy Federation.30 Bandy is considered a national sport in Russia.31
In 2009, Valuev, together with a group of coaches, created the Nikolay Valuev Boxing School, with offices in Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast. The school is divided into three types of age groups: pupils (school terms 3-5), students (terms 6-8), and adults. School pupils participate and compete in various boxing matches, including the "Valuev Cup" youth boxing tournament, which became a regular competition in Saint Petersburg.32
"Nikolai Valuev vs. Clifford Etienne - BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 22 January 2025. https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Nikolay_Valuev_vs._Clifford_Etienne ↩
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Mitchell, Kevin (5 November 2009). "David Haye must land body blows to cut Nikolai Valuev down to size". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Valuev insists he is not a physical freak suffering from a pituitary gland disorder; he is a genetic throwback, the son of parents who each are 5ft 5in tall, with a Tatar ancestor of mountainous proportions. https://web.archive.org/web/20250412161456/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/nov/05/david-haye-nikolai-valuev-size ↩
"Священник, бывший боксер-любитель, благословил Валуева на бой с Руизом". http://www.pravoslavie.ru/news/051208140413 ↩
Мои 12 раундов [My 12 rounds] (in Russian). TimeOut Moscow. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013. Мои 12 раундов ↩
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"Valuev: "I faced with typical Russian boorishness aggravated with alcohol"". Rin.ru. 2007-01-21. http://news.rin.ru/eng/news///4373/ ↩
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"Giant Nikolai Valuev did little to deserve victory over Evander Holyfield". ESPN.com. 22 December 2008. https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?id=3786752 ↩
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"Ex-champ Valuev talks Klitschko reign, Haye v Fury and retirement". Through care, as well as health and medical recommendations, I was advised that fighting would not be good for me and so I will stay retired.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) https://www.worldboxingnews.com/ex-champ-valuev-talks-klitschko-reign-haye-v-fury-and-retirement/ ↩
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"(2 чтение) ФЗ №186614-6 "О мерах воздействия на лиц, причастных к нарушению основополагающих прав и свобод человека, прав и свобод граждан РФ"". http://vote.duma.gov.ru/vote/79982 ↩
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