15.09.06 – By Jeffrey Cabauatan: On October 7, Nicolay Valuev will stake his WBA Heavyweight Title against once WBC Heavyweight Contender Monte Barrett. This fight is not really about Barrett because I do not really think he has that much left in the tank. On his last bout, he could not even motivate himself to beat up an unmotivated Rahman. This fight is about Valuev and if he can capture the attention of American boxing fans. For the past month or so, Don King took Valuev across America in hopes in getting a much needed hype for the titlist.
The only thing captivating about Valuev is his size. And only in America will where size is everything. When he is in the ring, there is not much to look at. He slowly jabs and jabs and finally throws that straight right hand. That right there seems like an eternity. In his last fight, Valuev did demolish Owen Beck in 3 rounds. But that’s not really hard to do given that Beck is outmatched in every category. Owen Beck probably came into that fight knowing that he was going to be a punching bag. He played his part, which was to make Valuev look like a monster.
HBO has set the stage for the premiere of the Beast from the East in American television. His opponent, Monte Barrett, is not even considered in the top 25 heavyweights today, and that says a lot considering the sad sad state of the division. However, Barrett does bring a name that boxing enthusiast may recognize. It is much better for Valuev to dispose someone that the public may recognize instead of Bozo the Clown. At least Barrett had been on American television.
In order for Valuev to live up to his own hype, he needs to come into the fight with guns blazing. Do not even let Monte get off any combination. Just go in there and walk all over him. He needs to instill to the public’s mind that he is invincible. This is his opportunity to gravitate the attention of boxing fans that have not seen him fight but heard the hype. One vicious knockout can change how fans perceive Valuev. All of the memories of his fight with Ruiz and Larry Donald would be overshadowed. First impression is everything. If he can deliver on October 14, we might see more of Valuev on television. To quote Eminem, “Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted-One moment Would you capture it or just let it slip?” That is exactly what Valuev is facing. One shot at stardom. Just one shot.