Under-Value-d?

Valuev: has the belt, but does he have the skills

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David Haye stands on the verge of heavyweight glory.

As ever, the Sky Sports team of Jim Watt, Glenn McCrory, Nicky Piper and Johnny Nelson, will be on hand to give you their expert opinions come fight night, but first skysports.com has brought the panel together to set the scene...

SKYSPORTS.COM: We've looked at the problems Valuev's size will present, but is it not a little more complex than that? Are people wrong just to dismiss the giant Russian as a physical freak? What about his skills as a fighter?

JIM WATT: Valuev has learned one way and he's always done what he's done. It might not be spectacular but remember when George Foreman came back to win the world title again at 44? Well, he could no longer do the things he could first time round, but he knew how to use what he had at the time.

He knew he wasn't going to be able to stop people the way he used to, but learned to impose himself more on the opposition. Valuev knows what he's got and he knows what he can do; that is stopping the other guy fighting, using that huge weight to tire them out. He has gone the distance so many times because he knows that, because of his size, he can just exhaust the smaller guys, round-by-round. The longer this fight goes the more it will suit Valuev.

NICKY PIPER:He is certainly more than a big lump, that's for sure. He might not have the sensational power but with his sheer physical dimensions, you have to worry about David walking on to any shot. That said, it's usually the punch you don't see that knocks you out and because Valuev doesn't have great speed, he doesn't have a great knockout record - his opponents will get that split-second extra to brace themselves and take his shots better.

But, the old adage that the bigger they are, the harder they fall rings true in boxing and I can't even remember Valuev being wobbled. His chin is obviously pretty good and is stamina has to be good when you look at the amount of times he has gone the distance and come out on top. He uses his size well and is clever in the way he fights; it's typical of the old Eastern Bloc countries and the way they train their fighters. They tend to look at a guy's physique rather than his talent or individual flair and prepare him accordingly - almost like building a robot. They do what they need to to get the best out of a boxer's strengths and with a guy this size, they seem to have done the right thing.

JOHNNY NELSON: Even though he is a big, big fella, he's a little bit faster than people think. He stands his ground - as you'd expect - and doesn't really use the ring, and he will try and square you up. What impresses me most though, is like the boys say, the way he knows how to use his attributes.

Regardless of him being a limited technician, he knows how to use his weight and height and sheer size. You are not going to beat him on strength, whoever you are, it has to be handspeed and more importantly footspeed. If David gets drawn into a straight up fight, there is only one winner. But, Valuev might well be used to going 12 rounds but I could not train for a year and stand there punching for 12 rounds if you came to me.

GLENN McCRORY: Yes, Valuev is a beast of a man and should not be dismissed as a freak of nature, but he can be beaten - and he can be beaten by the smaller guys. We saw Ruslan Chagaev, who with the best will in the world is a good, strong guy, but took a battering off Wladimir Klitschko, who got inside, worked him and beat him, so this it is not impossible.

And David has one vital asset - speed. He can hit hard as well and although it is going to be hard to get inside that huge reach, I am sure he has the movement and footwork to do it. There is a vulnerability to Valuev because as big as he is, when you see him fight, he is not the absolute beast you would expect from a man of his size. He certainly doesn't have massive one-punch power.