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 74.9-25.1 in favor of John Ruiz, but the win will not come easy. It is going to be a competitive fight and Nikolai Valuev will put on a really good performance, Ruiz will be required to be at his best.
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.