Nicolay Valuev handily defeated Sergie Lyakhovich, winning a unanimous decision in a largely uneventful fight Saturday in Germany.
Valuev was methodical in jabbing constantly throughout the fight; Lyakhovich could not effectively get past the jab and after the first several rounds his counters slowed and he seemed resigned to the loss, just holding on to not get knocked out. Valuev, however, did not really go for the knockout, content to win a fight that he clearly led the entire way.
The final card showed every round scored for Valuev, with two at 120-108 and one 120-107. There were no knockdowns though Valuev picked up the pace in the final round when he was in no danger of losing. Lyakhovich took damage throughout the fight from Valuev's jabs but never looked ready to fall.
For Sergei Lyakhovich, there has to be concern about the state of his career after his second loss in a row and for looking so poor in his first fight in over a year. He was much criticized for coming in slightly overweight and appearing to be out of shape, and when combined with his lackluster performance, his drive must be called into question. He has shown himself capable of being a good fighter when he is in top shape and mentally tough, but he was neither today.
In the SportsRatings Heavyweight Boxing Top 100, Lyakhovich will fall from #20 to around #40; he will no doubt fall out of the top 15 of the few boxing organizations that list him.
Valuev answered some questions but not all. His style was only slightly more interesting than usual, though part of that was his opponent's fault. He was as workmanlike and "dull" as usual, but the pattern he established was working perfectly so there was no reason to change it up. He might have tried harder to go for the KO, but understandably didn't want to leave himself open to a surprise. He will regain his #3 ranking in the SportsRatings Heavyweight Boxing Top 100, and though this fight won't hurt him, it might not help him all that much in terms of appeal to boxing fans.
He will move up slightly or remain the same on all of the major rankings, but in terms of future bouts most of the top fighters are locked in right now anyway. His best bet is the promised rematch with Ruslan Chagaev. Their last fight was even enough that, with improvement, he might have a chance. It wasn't clear how much better he has gotten since then because he didn't have to show a lot in this fight. His jab looked strong, but his movement was probably no better than in the past.
With his size, Valuev is capable of beating all but a few fighters in the heavyweight ranks, but at the same time, any fighter with speed and skill and a determination to train hard and win could spell trouble for the giant.
Lyakhovich didn't show that determination, and his previous skill went missing as well.
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