Nikolai Valuev vs. Evander Holyfield (six rounds apiece). The decision was controversial, with veteran announcer Nick Charles stating "That is the worst display of officiating I have ever seen." ESPN's Dan Rafael wrote "you can make more of a legitimate argument that Holyfield won all 12 rounds than you can make one that Valuev claimed at least seven to take the fight." Valuev would go on to face former unified cruiserweight champion David Haye, losing via a majority decision and retiring three days later. Holyfield would continue on for three more fights before finally retiring just before he turned 50, therefore this fight marked the
David Haye much larger opponent. Haye came close to knocking out Valuev in the final round with a hard left hand, which made Valuev stumble. Haye won a majority decision with scores of 114–114, 116–112, and 116–112. Haye is the first and currently only boxer in the history of the sport to be seven stone or more lighter than an opponent in a world title fight and still come out victorious. The fight garnered 469,000 buys on Sky Sports Box Office. On 26 January 2010, former WBA champion John Ruiz was announced as Haye's first title defence on 3 April at the