Nikolai Valuev famously lost to David Haye in 2009, and disappeared from the world of boxing entirely.
Valuev was a 7ft giant heavyweight who gained notoriety for his size and power, having shared the ring with the likes of Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz.
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But in the most famous fight of his career, the Russian powerhouse took on British challenger Haye in a bout that was branded 'David vs Goliath' in 2009.
The fight drew huge global interest given the incredible eight inch height difference between the pair, with Haye standing at 6ft 3 ins.
The 'Hayemaker' had a huge task on his hands on foreign soil in Germany, but he made history in a stunning turn of events.
Incredibly, the Briton was able to outbox his much larger opponent by using his speed and movement to beat him to the punch throughout the twelve rounds.
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During the showdown, the British icon was left injured, breaking his hand. He later described the punch landing as like 'hitting a brick wall'.
Valuev came forward and tried his best to break down Haye, but was pipped on the judges' scorecards.
Haye won by majority decision, with one judge scoring the contest at a 114-114 draw, and two 116-112 cards in favour of the new champion.
In the immediate aftermath of the famous collision, Valuev pondered a decision to retire from the sport at the age of 36.
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His future in the sport was eventually taken out of his hands as he discovered a benign brain tumour which prevented him from taking part in competition.
He also had issues in both knees, which caused an end to his incredible tenure in boxing.
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Later that year, Valuev decided to create 'Nikolai Valuev Boxing School', which encouraged competition of Russian youngsters in the squared circle.
Following a conclusion to his boxing career, Valuev was elected to Russian parliament in 2011 as an MP, becoming a member of the State Duma via the United Russia party.
He also became the general manager of the Russia national bandy team, and has worked to developed the sport.
Later he became a TV presenter for a children's program in 2016, and has become a regular feature on Russian TV.
In September 2022, Valuev revealed he had been drafted by president Vladimir Putin to join the war efforts in their invasion of Ukraine.
But he was later rushed to hospital with a leg injury, and was unable to meet the conscription guidelines so was unable to involve himself in the conflict.
Health concerns were a regular plague for the champion's career but he still achieved at the highest level.
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His most famous night came in a title defence agains one of the greatest fighters of all-time in Holyfield, just eleven months before his defeat to Haye.
His legacy remains in the sport, and he will never be forgotten for his role in the famous night despite falling short.
Valuev's rival Haye became only the fourth British heavyweight world champion ever and made history.
He defended his belts successfully against John Ruiz and Audley Harrison in the years to come, before losing on points to Wladimir Klitschko in his unification bout in 2011.
Haye then fought and beat Derek Chisora in 2012 before taking a four-year break from the sport until 2016.
After returning with wins over Mark De Mori and Arnold Gjergjaj, the Londoner was thrust into his two-fight series with Tony Bellew.
He fell to two stoppage defeats and decided to retire from the sport in May 2018 following their sequel.
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When recalling his bout with Valuev following his retirement in 2019, Haye described exactly how hard it was to topple the mammoth athlete.
He said five years ago: “My memories of the night are still vivid. The doubts creep into the back of your mind. Am I mad?
"I broke my hand in round two. A big overhand right. This guy had a rock solid jaw and I broke my knuckle on his jaw.
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“In the last round I nearly knocked him down to really solidify my points victory, but to get a victory on foreign soil against a guy that was promoted by Don King, who had a German promotion team, in Germany.
"Any kind of decision that was remotely close would have gone in his favour, so I really had to go above and beyond with my tactics, making sure that he didn’t land any significant blows.”
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