Valuev (46-1, 34 KOs) was off to the better start and kept marching forward throughout the twelve rounds, working cleverly behind his left jab. However, it was Chagaev who landed the clearer punches.

Support - not to say sympathy - is nothing new for Valuev´s victims. "The crowd usually feels sorry for my opponents," Valuev said. "I don´t have a problem with that at all.