In what must be this year's highlight heavyweight championship event, heavyweight curiosity Nikolay Valuev (50-1 with 34 KOs) the current holder of the WBA heavyweight championship belt, defends his title against the hard hitting former WBA, WBC and WBO Cruiserweight king David Haye (22-1-1 with 21 KOs) in Nuremberg, Bayern, Germany tonight. It will be only the Giant Russian's second title defence in his second reign as WBA Champ since being outfoxed by rugged Ruslin Chagaev in April of 2007, in what remains his sole loss as a professional fighter.

David was a phenomenal success as a Cruiserweight and although he has only really had two fights up at heavyweight against less than stellar opposition he has talked his way into the big time by goading both Klitschko brothers publically and selling himself at every opportunity possible.

Haye is as exciting a challenger as you could hope for. He is a high octane Knockout artist who often risks immediate catastrophe in order to make a victory as dramatic as one could wish for. Take his sole loss for instance... David lost by stoppage to aging warrior Carl Thompson back in 2004 in what was an IBO championship challenge at London's Wembley Arena, David could have slowly cracked away at Carl for 5 or 6 rounds before breaking the older man late in the fight, but David is David and as usual he went off like a fire cracker smashing his way through Carl from the first bell until the well had ran dry and Thompson offered Haye a taste of his own medicine when David was a spent force, a lesson the Londoner has never forgotten, but unfortunately probably never learned from.

Valuev is not your stereotypical giant, he is an incredibly athletic 320 pounder who before losing his title to Chagaev, beat an impressive list of challengers and contenders in his rise to the top.. Gerald Nobles, Attila Levin, Cliff Etienne, Larry Donald, Owen Beck, Monte Barrett, Jameel McCline and former Champions Sergei Liakhovich, Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz (twice).

Valuev is a very capable customer even before you consider the size advantages. David has to realize that he is very much under the microscope in this fight, and being on foreign ground he may not get everything his own way if the points come into play. He has more than once referred to not leaving it in the hands of the judges which concerns me that he has learned nothing from the all guns blazing ignorance he adopted in that loss to Thompson.

Valuev's keys to victory are to keep David at length and use the reach to slap home heavy handed hooks and crosses that may wear out the notoriously fast starting Haye, taking him into a late fight that will not suit him to take a late stoppage or points victory. If David opts to go headhunting it may be to his demise, Valuev will find Haye a wide open target if he starts reaching upwards for that head, and take aim himself at what many consider a "chinny" heavyweight. Haye has been dropped by lolenga Mock, Carl Thompson and Jean Marc Mormeck (all Cruiserweights) so what can a 300 lbs. plus man do to the Hayemaker if he lands flush?

It's a great fight with a lot of great possible given outcomes...  David Haye is the explosive chance taker who has only once heard the final bell... Nikolay Valuev is the solid champion who does his talking in the ring and has tasted defeat only once and has never once tasted the canvas..  I hope the hype lives up to the expectation..