Sixteen years ago last Friday: Nikolai Sergeevich Valuev vs. Lawrence Ali Donald

Round 6

Valuev coming forward is getting off three or four jabs to every one from Donald on the backfoot. Valuev is also using his to set up spearing right hands, having more success when he drops them into Donald's sides than when he headhunts. Valuev able to lower Donald's defenses with his focus on the body and open up a lane, landing jabs and 1-2s on the chin even as Donald jerks his neck and pedals his feet to elude or ride them. Donald with some incidental jabs and flurries here and there but nothing serious or disciplined, not setting his feet.

10-9 Valuev

57-57

 

Round 7

Valuev is turning and clip-clopping slowly in on Donald, barely lifting either foot off the canvas as he transports his large frame only as economically as needed to stay in jabbing range. Donald is slipping jabs and lowering his arms to screen out body shots. Donald with some inspired straight combos on the face standing in front of Valuev and bobbing rhythmically in place, then moving laterally and mostly staying off Valuev's jab. A stiff one gets through for Valuev and Donald moves in and clinches. Lead right by Donald grazing the forehead, prompting a few waves in the air by Valuev, ducked under by Donald for another clinch. Valuev getting flurried on every time he closes the distance, with Donald finishing off by clinching or escaping before he can be trapped on the ropes each time.

10-9 Donald, very clear

67-66 Donald

 

7h is a universal Larry Donald round.

 

Round 8

Valuev is jabbing in, missing the head of Donald for the most part, but then leaning his full weight down on him, and rolling in both hands in underhanded shoeshines on the belly. Donald is tying up, pushing off, and leaping up at Valuev with lead rights, scoring flush with them repeatedly. Valuev now initiating some of the clinches, draping his left arm over Donald's neck and pinioning him against his own ribs until asked to let go by the ref. Donald can't miss with that soaring right on the dome. Valuev begins coming at him with a will, and Donald just walks him onto a hybriid up-jab/left hook in his teeth.

10-9 Donald

77-75 Donald

 

Round 9

Valuev is carrying himself inside behind jabs and crosses, nearly pulling himself off his axis of balance, and even incorporating the rare left hook, swinging desperately at Donald, who is almost toying with him, mouth hanging slack and exposing his gum shield in a half-smirk. Donald sticking with what got him to the dance so far, drawing Valuev in close, slipping what he can, and then leaping up with right hands on the frontal lobe before tying up to reset. Valuev lobbing every punch in the book, to body and head, just doesn't have the hand speed to find Donald at mid-range.

10-9 Donald

87-84 Donald

 

Interestingly, the corner of Donald is admonishing him on his stool break in between rounds 9 & 10, asking him to pick up the pace, apparently thinking judges may have given Valuev the ninth just on work rate and being the aggressor.

 

Round 10

Valuev is putting out a tomahawk jab feint, then straightening out for the real one, and rubbing it against the shoulder or temple of Donald, although Donald's own left glove is shooting out to disrupt it, either altering its course or softening it. Donald is jumping up at Valuev with left hooks, caught with a shrugging brush-aside motion of Valuev's right arm, then plugging in body shots on Valuev in the clinch. Valuev is making Donald watch the birdie with some hypnotically slow jabs up top and then shoving his own right uppercut into the body of Donald. Interesting tactical back and forth here, both men experimenting with different things and then reacting to each other's experiments. Donald with a flurry on the body. Valuev with a few jabs on the head.

10-9 Valuev, close

96-94 Donald

 

Round 11

Valuev is putting his left arm out like a clothesline, letting Donald's jabs stay hung out to dry on it. Valuev starting to dial in a nice right hand, showing a bit of sneaky quickness that has been hithero absent from all his work. Donald forced to clinch and cede ground as Valuev steamrolls in, landing a couple of those rights. Sloppy flurries on the belt line from Donald, before holding on tight until ordered to break. Valuev pushes his left jab through, past both of Donald's upheld and resistant arms. Valuev telegraphing his jab, holding the left glove up and revving it up with semicircular motions before throwing as he steps forward, and Donald is slapping down preemptively at it with his right hand.

10-9 Valuev

105-104 Donald

 

Valuev's chief second screaming at him on his stool, with several expletives bleeped out by Sportschau (the German telecaster...even though what is being spoken in the corner is, presumably, Russian and not Deutsche)

 

Round 12

Valuev is holding out his jab after throwing it, and then pushing down with it at Donald's arms in their flurrying motions, and leaning on him in a clinch. Valuev obviously tired. Donald getting bear-hugged and mouth-breathing laboriously. Both trade jabs on the chest before collapsing into each other in another clinch by mutual assent. The ref, Stanley Christodoulou, is having a whale of a time keeping a combined 569½lbs of manhood from melting into a big perspirant grilled cheese sandwich. Donald is working his free hands in the clinch, shaking loose and jabbing up into Valuev's chin. Valuev grabs, holds, then shoves with his left hand when Christodolou asks for a break. Donald closes the show with a big sustained shoeshine on the body, and Valuev claps down on him with a heavy right arm over the back of the neck.

10-9 Donald

115-113 Donald

 

Yep, he deserved an L there alright, but...I'm not shouting robbery from the rooftops, either. We've seen worse decisions. Hell we've seen worse just this past week.

 

...crowd not happy though, Donald won them over for sure.