Roll-up, roll-up to see a seven foot Russian bruiser, the heaviest boxing champion of all time, fight an Uzbekistan man a foot shorter and nearly 100lbs lighter in the boxing Mecca of Helsinki. Who says boxing’s blue-ribband event is losing credibility?

On Saturday night in Finland Nikolai Valuev, “the beast from the East”, the WBA heavyweight champion of the world, takes on the only man ever to have beaten him, Ruslan Chagaev. Chagaev is the WBA’s champion in recess (don’t ask, I’m just as confused, but this may shed some light) and this fight will decide who the true title holder is.

Their first fight was a points victory for the Uzbeki in Germany, and it was well deserved. Chagaev outworked and outmanoeuvred his sluggish opponent.

A rematch was drawn up immediately but Chagaev suffered a number of injuries so Valuev took on a series of opponents, headlined by a 46-year-old American who had lost four of his previous eight contests. OK, that was Evander Holyfield, but even so…

Valuev got the judges’ decision against Holyfield after bumbling round the ring, pawing aimlessly at his elderly opponent with his jaw wide open.

Valuev’s worldwide career has been billed on his size but the sight of a gigantic man attacking a much smaller opponent loses appeal after a while. That is not helping the Russian.

His record, boasting 50 wins from 52 contests, does not stand up all that well when you delve into it. American John Ruiz heads a list of opponents that is lacking in marquee names.

I just hope, for the sake of boxing’s credibility, that whoever wins ends up fighting one of the Klitschko brothers or David Haye, so we can have a unified undisputed heavyweight champion and restore the event’s integrity.

Is that going to happen? Don’t bank on it.

PHOTO: Russian heavyweight boxer and current holder of the World Boxing Association (WBA) title Nikolai Valuev (L) and Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbekistan pose during a news conference in Helsinki,May 27, 2009. REUTERS/Lehtikuva/Jussi Nukari