Valuev to take on Klitschko

Ukrainian accepts unification fight challenge

Russian WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev has revealed that he will face WBC title holder Vitali Klitschko in a unification fight this year. "I've talked to Vitali on the phone recently and we agreed to meet each other in a ring," 35-year-old Valuev told the Russian media, "As far as the dates we're talking about the end of September or early October." Klitschko, 37, confirmed Valuev's announcement and said: "Yes, it's true. Nikolai had offered to fight and I've accepted his challenge." Following a hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in the Ukrainian's favour, Klitschko is not obligated to fight former champion Oleg Maskaev as a mandatory challenger and is free to take on Valuev. Uzbek Ruslan Chagaev was due to fight Valuev in May but the fight was cancelled when hepatitis B antigens were found in Chagaev's blood. Chagaev was subsequently knocked out in a sell-out fight in Germany by Klitschko's younger brother Wladimir, who by doing so retained his titles of IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight. Despite his win, boxing fans may still be seeking a definitive champion, particularly since the heavyweight division is so disjointed. Valuev said: "I think everyone in the boxing world would want to see this fight because people are tired of having so many different title versions."