Berlin: Nikolai Valuev won the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title with a controversial majority decision over American John Ruiz to become the first Russian champion in boxing's most glamorous division.
Ruiz's bitterly disappointed manager, Norman Stone, grabbed the title belt away from Valuev after the fight and ran around the ring holding it over his head until five ring bodyguards forcibly took it back.
Two of the judges put Valuev ahead of the defending champion at the end of the 12-round fight yesterday, scoring it 116-114 and 116-113 for the Russian who is known as the "Beast of the East" for his towering size and formidable weight advantage in every fight.
The third judge had both Valuev and Ruiz even at 114 in the first heavyweight title fight ever held in Berlin.
The sell-out 10,000 crowd in the Max-Schmeling arena booed loudly when the decision was announced even though Valuev, who is 2.13 metre (7ft) and 147 kg (324lbs), trains in Germany and entered the ring as the presumptive home crowd favourite.
Valuev, who had a 25 cm (10 inch) height and 45 kg (99 lb) weight advantage over his hard-charging American opponent, became the tallest and heaviest champion ever in the prestigious heavyweight division while extending his record to 43 wins and one no-decision.
"Only in boxing can you get robbed without a gun," Ruiz later.
"I feel I won this fight. It's a shame that it had to come here and have a bad decision go against me. I want to thank
the people of Germany (for booing). I would love a rematch. I will fight him anywhere."
Ruiz walked off without answering any questions but Stone, still livid at the decision more than an hour after the fight, grabbed the microphone for a testy exchange with German boxing organisers while Valuev looked on silently.
Valuev, who looked surprisingly fit after absorbing countless hard punches from Ruiz, said the negative reaction from the crowd didn't surprise him because he was used to being seen as the villain due to his towering height advantage.
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Ruiz, who has 41 victories including 28 knock-outs and one no-decision in his 49-fight career, had referred to him as "King Kong" before the fight.
"I'm used to the crowds that mostly support my opponents because I'm always boxing against people smaller than me," he
said.
"It's natural that the crowds support my opponent. But right after it was over I felt like I was the clear winner."
Ruiz went on the attack from the opening bell, trying to neutralise the 32-year-old Russian's size advantage by moving inside for quick left-right combinations.
Ruiz was able to use his greater speed and agility during much of the fight to dart inside the Russian's arms and get off point-scoring punches up into Valuev's balding head.
But Valuev was relentless with powerful jabs from above with his weaker left that opened cuts on the right side of Ruiz's face.
Even though he claimed he won the fight in the face of the decision by the referees from New Zealand, Australia and Mexico, Ruiz's black eye and swollen cheeks told a different story.
The WBA is one of the four heavyweight championships and Ruiz, 33, had hoped a convincing win in Berlin would lead to a tournament that produce an undisputed champion.
The three other title holders currently are Hasim Rahman (World Boxing Council), Chris Byrd (International Boxing Federation) and Lamon Brewster (World Boxing Organisation).
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