John Ruiz vs Nikolai Valuev
On December 17, 2005, Nikolai Valuev (42-0, 31 KOs) gets a shot at the heavyweight WBA title held by John Ruiz (41-5-1, 28 KOs).
Ruiz vs Valuev Stats
John Ruiz is coming in to the fight on a 3-fight win streak with a 59% KO rate; his last fight was a unanimous decision loss to James Toney, 7 months and 17 days ago. Nikolai Valuev is on a 42-fight win streak with a 73% KO rate, with his last fight being a majority decision win over Larry Donald, 2 months and 16 days ago.
Ruiz vs Valuev Prediction & Odds
The winning odds are at 66.3-33.7 in favor of John Ruiz, but it is going to be a hard-earned victory. Nikolai Valuev is going to put on an exceptional fight, Ruiz better be prepared for one of the toughest fights of his life.
Ruiz vs Valuev Result
Nikolai Valuev defeated John Ruiz via majority decision and wins the WBA title — in his first world-title fight. Valuev improves his record to 43-0, while Ruiz adds a loss to his record at 41-6-1.