The First Ever Boxing Heavyweight Title Fight on Finnish Soil

On May 30, the 7’0 Russian Nicolay Valuev and the Uzbekistan Ruslan Chagaev will square off in rematch of their 2007 WBA heavyweight title bout at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.

In 2005, Nicolay Valuev defeated the American former 2-time heavyweight world champion John Ruiz to become the first ever Russian professional boxer to win a world title in boxing. After defending his title three times, Nicolay Valuev suffered his first loss on April 14, 2007, when he was challenged by his mandatory challenger Ruslan Chagaev, who scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Nicolay Valuev to capture the WBA heavyweight championship title. “The day has come to settle the score,” Valuev said. “I have been waiting for two years to make amends. Only a victory over Chagaev can put my mind at rest.” Initially, both fighters were supposed to meet in 2008, but Chagaev pulled out from Achilles tendon injury sustained during his preparation for that fight, and the World Boxing Association, WBA, named him their champion in recess and ordered Nicolay Valuev and former 2-time world champion John Ruiz to meet in a vacant WBA Ordinary World heavyweight title bout in August 2008, which Nicolay Valuev won via a 12- round split decision. In Zürich, Switzerland, Valuev scored a 12-round majority decision over 5-time boxing world champion Evander Holyfield to retain his WBA title. After recovering form his injury, Rusland Chagaev, whose record is 26 fights, 25 wins, 1 draw, with 17 of his wins coming by way of knockouts, scored a 6-round technical decision over Carl Davis Drumond of Costa Rica on February 7, 2009, Chagaev was ahead on the score cards when the referee in charge decided to stop the bout due to a severe cut over Chagaev's left eye that was caused by an accidental headbutt by Drumond. Nicolay Valuev’s record is 50 wins, 1 loss, with 34 of his wins coming by way of knockouts.