Nikolai Valuev entered the ring and his opponents had already lost half the fight just by looking at him.
At 2.13 meters tall and weighing more than 320 pounds during his competitive years, this Russian boxer did not need speed or refined technique: his size was the weapon. He won the World Boxing Association title on two separate occasions and racked up 50 professional victories, building a career that seems straight out of a movie about giants.
They called him the ‘Russian giant,’ and the nickname was no exaggeration. After retiring from boxing, he did something few expected: he dove headfirst into Russian politics, proving that his presence was just as imposing outside the ring as it was inside it.