Who is Mister Valuev? Spicy details about the “Beast from the East”

At the end of January 2000, during the Davos Economic Forum, a question was posed by a journalist from the Philadelphia Inquirer to the acting president of Russia, Vladimir Putin: “Who is Mr. Putin?” At that time, Russia was largely associated with Yeltsin, and his departure from the presidency on New Year's Eve was a shock to the world. Today, I would like to rephrase this question and address it to Nikolai Valuev, who just a couple of days ago, as they say, out of the blue, decided to lash out at Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia due to the government's decision to halt the activities of “Rossotrudnichestvo,” and not just anywhere, but on the territory of Azerbaijan itself.

So, who is Nikolai Valuev? And what does he have to do with "Rossotrudnichestvo," the "Russian House," or even Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia, to the point of instructing our country on what to do with its own laws, and our diaspora on what to do with the Azerbaijani diaspora, while acknowledging that there is no similar structure in Russia, which has been functioning for years, namely Azsotrudnichestvo?

Nikolai Sergeyevich Valuev is the vice president of the Russian Bandy Federation, the host of the children's show Good Night, Kids!, the chairman of the public council of the ANO "Public Forum ‘Ecology’" (!), and, finally, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and the Development of Tourist Infrastructure!

As we can see, despite the multifaceted nature of Nikolai Sergeyevich's current activities, he has no connection to the Russian or Azerbaijani diaspora as a host of a children's show, an ecology enthusiast, or a fan of bandy. Perhaps he had some past involvement with the aforementioned organizations? Let’s see…

Nikolai Valuev, having grown to 213 cm by the age of 18, began boxing at 20, despite never having served in the army and dropping out of the Leningrad Institute of Physical Culture. Moreover, he started his boxing career after failing to make it in basketball and athletics—despite all the advantages of his height. In other words, by the end of the 20th century, Kolya clearly wasn't shining with any exceptional talent. And the most interesting part is that he began his boxing career immediately as a professional, which clearly seemed more like a desire to "make money" than to build a name for himself in the sport. This approach led to him being disqualified at the 1994 Goodwill Games as a professional boxer, since at that time, amateurs and professionals compete separately.

Valuev transformed into "Nikola of Petersburg," who, under the guidance of his first trainer Oleg Shalaev, got involved in basic racketeering as part of one of the numerous St. Petersburg OPGs (Organized Crime Groups). By the way, Shalaev had a very low opinion of his pupil's abilities. "What did Valuev excel at? Nothing at all. His opponents were always weak, and the referees were also carefully chosen and positioned. There was always a referee who was on our side in the ring, definitely a side judge. So what can I say? He's a zero boxer, nothing special," Shalaev told Russian media.

The most interesting part is that even the most famous of Valuev's trainers, Manvel Gabrielyan, echoed this sentiment, calling the giant "an empty shell."

And yet, the man, who doesn't apologize and, on the contrary, even mocks the announcement of a ban on his visit to Azerbaijan, has the nerve to say that "the East is a delicate matter."

Meanwhile, the boxer, who performed in the ring under the name "Beast from the East," dares to discuss Pan-Turkism…

Meanwhile, history already answered him once with a boomerang—on November 7, 2009. It was on this "red day of the calendar" that this ultra-patriot, who essentially called for the countries of the post-Soviet space to reunite into one state, ended his career in disgrace, losing a fight for the WBA championship belt to the British boxer David Haye. After that, he never stepped into the ring against Vladimir Klitschko, who had challenged him several times. And it wasn't just Klitschko—Valuev even refused a rematch with Ruslan Chagaev from Uzbekistan (also a Tatar, by the way, but one who maintained his identity), whom he had lost to two years earlier, on April 14, 2007.

And this is despite the fact that Chagaev is 50 kg lighter than Valuev! Not to mention the more than 25 cm height difference! It’s no wonder that Chagaev literally tore Valuev apart in one of his interviews earlier this year, stating that he had no respect for the Russian boxer when speaking to a Russian website.

As we can see, "Nikola of Petersburg's" trainer was absolutely right when he spoke about the worthlessness of his pupil as a boxer… A boxer who, even at the height of his career, was only good for intimidating "parking attendants" near the St. Petersburg "Spartak" sports palace. And now, this uneducated TV host tries to lecture on the work of the Azerbaijani diaspora and the influence of Pan-Turkism. As they say, it's both laughable and sinful…

By Vugar Vugarli