Primo Carnera vs Nikolai Valuev

[Cojimar 1946]

This was another matchup that looked interesting. Valuev was arguably the Carnera of his day.

[gilgamesh]

I'd go with Valuev. This fight would be a mess, but Valuev could take a shot better. Two oafs with little talent other than their size, the tougher man Valuev will win.

[Ezzard]

Agree with the above.

[Kalan]

Valuev wins easily.. Carnera had somewhat of a glass chin and was knocked down over 20 times and knocked out several times.. Valuev was never knocked down and never stopped.. Valuev's jab was quicker and he had a quicker right hand so Carnera shouldn't be real hard for him. Valuev could take a Hell of a punch.. Guys who nailed him really hard like Ruslan Chagaev and David Haye couldn't deck him.

Valuev was also much bigger than Carnera. Many recent Heavyweights have been bigger and taller than Carnera -- Taishan Dong, Julius Long, Tye Fields, and many others. Valuev weighed well over 300 pounds and was over 7 feet tall. Carnera was a quarter inch under 6'6". He weighed in the 250's and 260's for most of his fights. Primo actually wouldn't be that unusual today where most Heavyweights are well over 6 feet tall and many weigh that much.

One thing Carnera and Valuev had in common was they were both awkward and slow athletes... Really big, tall men are very rare in themselves and they're usually very slow and uncoordinated... Finding really big, tall guys with great speed and athleticism, and trying to convince them to become boxers is damned near impossible---because Basketball snaps them up.. If they wreck a knee and can't play basketball, that's when they might try Boxing -- like really good football players who try Boxing almost always have bad knees.. They can't play football anymore so they look at boxing.

Valuev for instance had very bad knees and couldn't run or jump well - which put him in good company with Carnera.. Taishan Dong is 7 feet tall and showed some promise for 6 fights, but he hasn't fought in a couple years.. He can't get a decent Heavyweight into the ring. That is anyone looking for more than a few thousand dollars in exchange for a certain loss. Name Heavyweights have other options. They don't have to fight someone 7 feet tall who can box well and is a dangerous hitter. Boxing isn't so much a sport as a business. Big guys who can't fight worth a damn have no problem getting fights.

[Tony1244]

Not a fair question. Wasn't one reincarnated from the other?

[Kalan]

Nope!!! They have little in common... Other then the fact they were both big, tall, slow, and super hittable for their day---and both ugly as sin.

But Valuev was way underrated by many opponents... His hands were quick, and he had real punching power... He had enough skill and control to KO Monte Barrett.. Barrett was a better Heavyweight than anyone Carnera beat.. Barrett went 6'3" X 225 and out-boxed a 24-0 Dominic Guinn.. Guinn was a real good boxer who easily blasted out gigantic but slow Michael Grant.. Grant had only been beaten by Lennox Lewis and Jameel McCline and was 40-2.. Fighting the unbeaten Guinn was a huge mistake.. Unfortunately a lot of big guys are very slow and Grant was one of them.. Guinn pounded Grant like he was Primo.

I knew it was a mistake to match the gigantic Tye Fields, who was 41-1 with Monte Barrett.. Tye Fields was huge, quick, and athletic enough to interest Emmanuel Steward.. But please keep the man away from punchers. He went into tweety bird land almost immediately. Barrett blasted him out like he was Primo.. Barrett had the bad habit of swinging really big because he knew he could knock big slow guys out cold.. He nailed Valuev with some massive shots swinging away like Max Baer. That does leave you wide open for counters and he was NOT going to KO Valuev. He had a head like a rock -- a very ugly rock.

You never saw Ruslan Chagaev or David Haye load up and swing when they beat Valuev... They respected his power - beating him by boxing his big slow ass.

[Ambling Alp II]

I'd go with Valuev. This fight would be a mess, but Valuev could take a shot better. Two oafs with little talent other than their size, the tougher man Valuev will win.

Valuev never had a fight that he showed he was tough. He never fought anyone who could punch so we don't know that he could take a shot better.
Carnera beat Sharkey, Loughran, and Uzcudun. Valuev's big win was against an ancient Holyfield and even then the judges had to save him.

[gilgamesh]

I'd go with Valuev. This fight would be a mess, but Valuev could take a shot better. Two oafs with little talent other than their size, the tougher man Valuev will win.

Valuev never had a fight that he showed he was tough. He never fought anyone who could punch so we don't know that he could take a shot better.
Carnera beat Sharkey, Loughran, and Uzcudun. Valuev's big win was against an ancient Holyfield and even then the judges had to save him.

He took some big shots from Haye and didn't go down. If Carnera takes those same shots, he goes down.

[Kalan]

That's true... Carnera is sparked out by those shots.. He was down over 20 X... Valuev on the other hand??? Never knocked down in 52 fights with only 2 losses. And he beat World Heavyweight Champions: Sergie Liackhovich, Evander Holyfield, and John Ruiz -- and also fought David Haye and Ruslan Chagaev.

When Carnera fought guys of that caliber he got did a good imitation of a basketball... getting dribbled around by little 190-pounders... No chin.

[Ambling Alp II]

I'd go with Valuev. This fight would be a mess, but Valuev could take a shot better. Two oafs with little talent other than their size, the tougher man Valuev will win.

Valuev never had a fight that he showed he was tough. He never fought anyone who could punch so we don't know that he could take a shot better.
Carnera beat Sharkey, Loughran, and Uzcudun. Valuev's big win was against an ancient Holyfield and even then the judges had to save him.

He took some big shots from Haye and didn't go down. If Carnera takes those same shots, he goes down.

David Haye? Come on.

[Kalan]

The David Haye Valuev fought was damned good... A great boxer and puncher and lightning fast... He retired Valuev

Haye was World Cruiserweight Champion, 22-1 and 20 KOs... Primo never faced anyone close except a green Louis, who was later knocked kicking by Schmeling.