Nikolai Valuev family. Big and small: Nikolai Valuev celebrated the birthday of his youngest son. Later boxing career

Nikolai Sergeevich Valuev is a world famous ex-world boxing champion, a successful showman and a deputy of the State Duma of Russia. Born in the Northern capital on August 21, 1973 in a family of factory workers. He became not only the heaviest and tallest fighter in the history of boxing, but also the first Russian to win the title of world heavyweight champion among professionals according to the World Boxing Association (WBA).

Childhood and family of Nikolai Valuev

The parents of the future talented athlete did not suspect that their only son would have such extraordinary physical data. At birth, his height was quite normal - 52 centimeters. But even as a preschooler, Nikolai began to rapidly overtake his peers in growth.

Athletic coaches seized the opportunity to use his unique qualities and attracted him to basketball, where height gives him an advantage in the fight for victory. He became the champion of the country in this sport among young men, being a pupil of the honored coach of Russia Anatoly Steinbock.

However, over time, it turned out that rapid growth had a negative effect on the coordination of movements of a teenager and strength physical capabilities - the ability to resist fatigue, endurance. Therefore, he switched to athletics, namely, hammer throwing. And in this type of sports competition, Valuev achieved success - in a stubborn struggle he earned the title of master of sports.

Sports victories of Nikolai Valuev

After graduating from school in 1990, our hero entered the National State University of Physical Education, Sports and Health. P.F. Lesgaft. A year later, he interrupted his studies (but later, in 2009, he nevertheless finished it).

At the age of 20, the young man decided to take up boxing. His first mentor was Oleg Shalaev. The debut in the ring of our giant as a professional took place in 1993 after only a few months of training and just over 10 amateur fights. The first fight was with the American John Morton, took place in Berlin and ended with the victory of the Russian.

After 6 years, Valuev in a duel against Russian Alexei Osokin became the national heavyweight champion among professionals. The following year, in 2000, in a meeting in the ring at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, under the guidance of his mentor Samvel Gabrielyan, Nikolai won the PABA champion title in a fight against a Ukrainian boxer, interestingly, also actually born in Northern Palmyra, Yuri Elistratov, to whom the German boxing fans gave the menacing nickname Morder ("Killer").

In 2004, as a result of a victorious meeting in the ring with the Nigerian Richard Bango, Valuev became the intercontinental champion. After the fight, Nikolai changed his manager Shalaev to the German promoter Wilfried Sauerland. A year later, in a fight with John Ruiz (USA), he won the title of the first Russian heavyweight champion according to the WBA. He defended this high achievement in performances against Jamaican fighter Owen Beck, Americans Monte Barrett and Jameel McCline.

However, in 2007, in a meeting with Ruslan Chagaev (Tatar by nationality) from Uzbekistan, he was defeated. After that, Nikolai Valuev competed in heavyweight, again defeating Ruiz, then the legendary US boxer Evander Holyfield. In 2009, the Russian boxer had one of his most brilliant fights against Briton David Haye, but was defeated.

Valuev and Klitschko

In 2010, Ukrainian boxer Vitali Klitschko, the owner of many champion titles, challenged Valuev to a fight, announcing that he was allegedly afraid of him. Many boxing fans regret that these outstanding athletes never met in the ring. A year later, Valuev announced the end of his sports career, during which he spent 53 fights, scoring fifty victories and receiving many nicknames ("The Beast from the East", "Man-mountain", "Koli-sledgehammer", "Nikola of St. Petersburg").

It is known that Valuev intends to open his own restaurant in Germany. Moreover, Nikolai plans to offer visitors a cake with figurines of the Klitschko brothers as his signature dish. He promises that he will defiantly eat them in public, obviously for the sake of double pleasure - moral and gastronomic.

Nikolai Valuev today

After the cessation of performances in the ring, Nikolai demonstrates his versatile creative and political activity, the desire to act, create and solve practical problems. He continues his education by enrolling in Moscow State Technical University. K.G. Razumovsky, manages the boxing school, opened by him in 2009 in the city on the Neva (with branches in the Leningrad region), organizes the boxing competitions "Valuev Cup", popularizes sports among Russians. He became the founder of the charitable foundation for the development of children's and youth sports of his own name.

Having an unusual appearance, he acts in commercials, in particular, he entered into an agreement with the Pokerstars poker site, became the "face" of one of the German sausage manufacturers for advertising large-sized sausages, works as a TV presenter, acts in films - both as "himself" and and in other character roles. In addition, he presented the book "My 12 Rounds" written with Konstantin Osipov. The former professional boxer went into politics, becoming a State Duma deputy and a member of the Duma Committee on Physical Education, Sports and Youth Affairs. Together with the ensemble of Russian song "Babkiny Vnuki" is now working on recording a new album. The first work of the song project has already become the "Hymn of Kuzbass".

Secrets of the personal life of Nikolai Valuev

The famous athlete and parliamentarian is happily married to his wife Galina. The couple has a daughter and two sons - Irina, Grigory and Sergey.

As it turned out during the program "The Invisible Man" on the TV-3 channel, the heroes of which were the Valuevs last year, the wife, despite her height of 163 centimeters, dominates the family. It is known that one of the main hobbies of Nikolai is hunting. But during the broadcast, many of his unexpected features were made public - vulnerability, sentimentality, the presence of complexes regarding appearance.

Separately, Nikolai's loyalty was emphasized in terms of relations with his beloved woman. Family and close people are the most important thing in life for him. Perhaps this was the unwitting reason for the well-known fact of his fight in the parking lot when Galina was driving. The incident resulted in serious bodily injuries to the security guard of the SC "Spartak" and criminal proceedings. TV show experts also noted that the ex-fighter in life often had to prove his worth to others. Today, the Valuev family owns several apartments in Russia, two in Germany, a house, cars and boats.

A man who has repeatedly won in the ring - what does he teach his children?

Nikolai Sergeevich Valuev- the world-famous ex-world boxing champion, thoroughly several sports schools, a successful showman and a deputy of the State Duma. Born on August 21, 1973 in a family of factory workers. Graduated from St. Petersburg University of Physical Culture named after P. F. Lesgaft. He started boxing in 1993. Valuev became not only the heaviest and tallest fighter in the history of boxing, but also the first Russian to win the title of world heavyweight champion among professionals according to the World Boxing Association (WBA). Officially, Nikolai Valuev announced his retirement from boxing in 2010. Now the ex-athlete is engaged in politics and social activities.

Nikolai, when you were just thinking about your paternity, was your father a standard for you? Or, on the contrary, did you think: “I will never be like my father”? Does the experience of the past generation help or cause protest?

Neither one nor the other. My father taught me a lot by his example. If in my time there were as many distractions as there are today's children, maybe I would not pay attention to how my dad acted in different situations. But at that time there were only three programs on TV. No computers, gadgets - only books. Dad read a lot, and I followed him. My father and I also built a dacha, a plot for which was given from the factory to my mother ...

In this communication, I received a ticket to life. Now everything is different. I can't say it's definitely worse. It's just that our children's generation is different. It's much harder to influence them. But you can't get away from this. It is necessary to keep up with the times, to interest precisely by your example, and not to grumble, as it was good in the past.

- So, you raise your children differently from how your parents raised you?

At least I try to pay more attention to them. I try to patiently explain when they do not understand something. We need to spend more time not only in joint activities, but also in simple conversation. Children really need conversations.

And what is even more interesting - today's children often do not want to participate in common family affairs. And I think that this is necessary for the formation of responsibility. We almost force them to participate in a family discussion of some issues.

Nikolai Valuev with his son and daughter

- Do you think you are a strict father? Do you forbid your children a lot?

I am ready to make concessions if I understand: now the child will make a mistake, and over time, we will analyze his act, and he himself will draw conclusions. It is necessary to insist on one's own in cases where the actions of the child can cause real harm to him. Democracy in education is not always useful. If I see that the consequences of a mistake will be too serious, I am adamant.

- Will you use force?

Strength is different. You cannot physically influence the child when he is far away from you, at school, for example. Therefore, it is wiser to go through compromises. Grisha is a teenager, he can be quick-tempered, illegible in words. If I answer him in the same spirit - be rude, insist on my own - on my part it will be both a mistake and a weakness, because I am smarter than him, more experienced. Therefore, one must be able to remain silent and even turn back. But don't lose face.

- What does the phrase “parents should be respected” mean to you?

First of all, for me, this means that you need to listen to your parents to the end, without interrupting. Just listen first. Think it's easy? For a child, this is quite a big psychological stress. If a child learns to listen to his parents, even if he disagrees, then he will probably be able to respect other people's points of view as well. And this is perhaps one of the most important aspects of communication. People who don't listen to others, no one likes to deal with.

Nikolai Valuev with his son and daughter. Photo: "7 days"

How can one distinguish between respect and obedience?

It's easy. When a child obeys, out of fear, he agrees with any of your opinions, even if you are absolutely wrong. For the sake of experiment, you can say some complete nonsense. If the child agrees with this, then your relationship is not developing in the best way, because it is built on fear and repression.

In our family, children are free to express their opinions. They do not always manage to do it politely, they often interrupt, raise their voice. But it's better than keeping everything to yourself and silently offended.

How is household chores distributed in your family?

The burden of household chores lies on the shoulders of the wife. Luckily, we have a wonderful nanny. We wouldn't have made it at all without her. Our children are of different ages, there is a five-year difference between them, so in their activities they do not intersect with each other in any way. Everyone has their own mugs. They are taken and brought in by their wife and nanny.

We have a matriarchy in our family simply because there are more women than men: wife Galya, daughter Ira, my mother, nanny ... I come home late. I became a "Sunday dad". But during the school holidays I try to spend more time with the children.

Nikolai Valuev with his daughter Ira

Do you look at children as your own extension? Or do you understand that each of them has their own path in life?

I see them as a continuation of our family, but everyone has their own way. The main thing is not to look down on them. It is necessary to treat children as full-fledged citizens, albeit small ones, but with their own opinions and their own unique way of life. Sometimes it is worth descending from your adult heights to the level of a child in order to see: he has his own world, this world is very rich and not always clear to adults. We were in his place too, we just forgot about it. And this is our main mistake ...

Interviewed by Elena Verbenina.

This interview is part implemented by the Internet magazine "Batya", the Foundation of St. Andrew the First-Called and the publishing house "Nikeya". You can read the full interview at

The famous boxer, the first Russian world champion among professionals, was born on August 21, 1973. Kolya Valuev had a quite normal height at birth - 52 cm. However, subsequently, according to this indicator, the boy significantly outstripped his peers. Interestingly, in his family, he is the only one who ended up with a similar genetic anomaly.

unusual child

Valuev was 30-40 centimeters taller than his school peers. His height in the first grade was 1 meter 60 centimeters (the boy turned out to be taller than the class teacher). In the sixth, the boy left behind even high school students: 1 meter 96 centimeters. Nikolai grew up mobile, strong, but at the same time calm and kind.

Thanks to his father, he fell in love with fishing and was accustomed to reading the classics for life. Valuev Jr. has always considered his dad an indisputable authority. He was a very respectable and good-natured man. By his own example, he taught his son, even in a difficult situation, not to go into conflict, but with a fair amount of self-irony (in the words of the classic) "to laugh out of trouble."

Introduction to sports

In the 80s, many parents sent their children to sports clubs. Nikolai began his career in big sport with basketball, then went in for athletics. In the 7th grade, a guy with obvious talent went to study at the Leningrad Sports Boarding School No. 62. While studying and participating in competitions, he became the winner of the USSR championship in discus throwing.

However, neither the well-deserved sports titles, nor the coaching diploma received by the future champion in the 90s, promised the future champion any special prospects in life.

At this stage, Nikolai Valuev happily passed the dangerous temptation (dubious people tried to attract an athlete with a textured appearance to participate in the “shooters”.) Fortunately, fate soon gave him a more real chance to decide in life.

First boxing lessons

At the invitation of coach Oleg Shalaev, Nikolai Valuev, who was out of work, came to the boxing section. The growth of the athlete at that time reached its highest point - 2 meters 13 centimeters. It was the anthropometry of a basketball player rather than a fighter.

Boxing for a calm, non-conflict guy at first turned out to be stressful. For Valuev, throughout his boxing career, the problem of the first blow was essential. The coaches told him more than once: “First they will hit you, and then you start to fight!” Nikolai Valuev was forced to overcome his character, learn to defend himself. The style of his duel organically began "on defense". Even then, it became clear to his coach Oleg Shalaev: Nikolai would continue to demonstrate such boxing. Valuev has always been distinguished in the ring by a sporty spirit and gentleness.

This first stage of his career left its mark on the life of the future champion. At the very first trainings, he was paired with an international master of sports, who forever "gave" the champion a mark - a broken nose. Looking ahead, let's say that 11 years of cooperation connected boxer Nikolai Valuev with coach Oleg Shalaev. During this time, the newcomer entered the top ten heavyweights in the world.

In the professional ring

In the very first year of his boxing, Nikolai Valuev was supposed to go to his first professional boxing tournament in Germany. However, two days before the fight, his dad died of heart disease. The athlete promised his family to dedicate his first fight to his father.

With a resounding victory over an opponent, the career of a Russian professional boxer began. On the eve of the fight with the experienced John Mortan (40 professional fights), Nikolai did not sleep, and after the fight he had a fever.

In the same year, Nikolai won silver at the championships of St. Petersburg and Russia. From 1994 to 1996, the athlete holds only five fights in the professional ring, but unprincipled, since his opponents are unrated.

About the wedding of Nikolai Valuev

In 1998, he met his future wife. By chance, at a table at a celebration with mutual friends, they were seated side by side. The cheerful girl began to look after the “largest boxer in the world” at the table, treating him with one dish, then another ... Young people began to meet. At that time, Nikolai lived with his coach and promoter. With Galina, he could only meet on Thursdays and on weekends.

Valuev's wife says with a smile that she personally did not receive marriage proposals from the future champion, instead Nikolai invited her dad to the bathhouse, where he announced that he would marry his daughter. Coming out of the bath, the men, to the surprise of the ladies, began to seriously plan the wedding. By the way, on the second day after the celebration, Nikolai and his father-in-law drove off to hunt ...

Later boxing career

In 1999, after a professional duel with Alexei Osokin, Valuev became the champion of Russia. And on June 6, 2000, Nikolai won the title of champion of the Pan-Asian Boxing Association, defeating the Ukrainian Yuri Elistratov, and in 2002 he defended this title.

Relationships that have passed all tests

2002-2003 became a real test for the Valuev family. Due to the position of the then manager Nikolai (he did not let him go to competitions), the boxer remained without work for a long time, for several years they did not even have money for basic necessities. After a couple of months, almost all friends, except for a single neighbor, stopped lending money to Valuev. It is characteristic that for all those difficult months, Valuev's wife, Galya, never reproached her husband.

Subsequently, already speaking in Germany under the leadership of Wilfrid Sauerland, Nikolai repaid his debts to friends who had previously rescued his family (at that time Nikolai already had his first son Grisha),

Professional contract

07/26/2004, the Russian boxer becomes the intercontinental champion of the WBA version. The victory over a clear advantage was overshadowed by Nikolai's not quite “clean” blow to the back of the head of the Nigerian Bango. However, the referee did not notice him.

Soon, boxer Nikolai Valuev signed a contract with an American boxing company. In December 2005, the Russian had to spend his first championship fight in Germany. The legendary champion Mohammed Ali was also present in the audience.

The Russian got a heavy and "viscous" opponent - John Ruiz, who stubbornly opposed him for all 12 rounds. There was some drama in this fight. Nikolai Valuev, being right-handed, fought with an unhealed fracture of his right hand. Therefore, the Russian athlete fought, in fact, “with one left” and, in spite of everything, managed to win on points.

In the future, the Russian champion successfully defended the high title three times. However, on April 14, 2007, he was selected by the Uzbek boxer Ruslan Chagaev.

Then Chagaev was injured, and, according to the rules of the WBA, Valuev had to have a rematch for the title of “interim champion” with John Ruiz. In this battle, which took place on August 30, 2008, the Russian confidently won. On December 20, 2008, Nikolay defended his title in a fight against the eminent contender Evander Holyfield.

In 2009, Valuev officially received the WBA heavyweight title. On 11/07/2009, he loses it, having been defeated by Briton David Haye.

In total, during his career in the professional ring, boxer Nikolai Valuev spent fifty fights. Of these, he won 48, including becoming a two-time heavyweight champion. He met different opponents. If the boxer finished the first fights in 2 rounds, then professional fights required dedication and left injuries. Obviously, in fights with fast and technical punchers, Valuev experienced difficulties. Height and weight affected the mobility and reactions of the athlete.

Our hero had his own tradition: before the fight, Nikolai Valuev invariably went to his small homeland to stand at his father's grave.

Why Nikolai left boxing

Nikolai Sergeevich stopped performing at the age of 36. For him, farewell to the sport came unexpectedly. In 2009, a 15-year contract with German promoter Wilfried Sauerland ended. The athlete was worried about knee and back injuries.

Boxer Nikolai Valuev, while still in Germany, decided to undergo a thorough medical examination there. Unexpectedly, on a tomography, the doctors discovered that he had a brain tumor, fortunately, benign. When deciding to continue his boxing career, the athlete could die, possibly right in the ring. Nikolai did not feel fear of the uncertainty of the future; it seemed to him that farewell to sports was inevitable.

Luckily, the brain surgery went well.

Deputation Valuev

Nikolai Sergeevich was elected to the Duma of the Russian Federation by the people of Kuzbass. If you ask his voter: “What catches the eye of the viewer when Valuev is behind the podium?”, “Growth, perhaps,” he will jokingly answer, but then add that the ex-champion still has live contact with his voters. Indeed, the ex-champion travels a lot around the region. He - one of ten deputies - represents the Kemerovo region in the State Duma.

Valuev is a member of the Duma Committee on Sports and Youth Policy and is competent in all areas of his work. Also, having a long-term corresponding hobby, he participates in the Duma working group on the law on hunting.

Valuev's wife, Galina, jokes that sometimes in the kitchen she conveys to Nikolai the voice of the people on state issues, such as increased fines for driving violations. In an interview, she mischievously assures that she will not let "her Kolya" become a cynic.

Family and Children

There are three children in the family of the famous champion: son Grisha born in 2002, daughter Irina born in 2007, son Sergey born in 2012. The children of Nikolai Valuev adore their father, sometimes jokingly calling him Shrek. So he was once called, being quite small, daughter Ira. The situation, it must be said, is quite comical. Once, when there were guests in the house, she opened the magazine with comic book pictures offered to her and, noticing the cartoon Shrek there, loudly asked her mother: “Who is this? Dad?"

For many Russians, Nikolai Valuev can serve as an example not only of an athlete, but also of a family man. Nikolai Valuev takes his eldest son fishing with him on the weekends, as his father once did, whom Grinya never saw.

Conclusion

This big and very kind person now devotes his time to the youth and sports policy of Russia. The ex-world champion is charismatic, but his judgments are balanced and solid. He's popular. Many eminent agencies want to see him in their advertising.

Nikolai Valuev does not go on vacation abroad, once and for all choosing the nature of his native land for recreation. As a person, he is very popular. Most Russians know what the world's largest politician Valuev has height and weight (213 cm and 160 kg).

Nikolay and Galina Valuevs.

It is hard to imagine two more dissimilar people. He is a huge giant with a rather intimidating expression on his face, and she is a fragile, pretty, very smiling brunette. Nikolai and Galina Valuev have been together for more than 15 years, raising three children and consider themselves an ideal couple.

chance meeting


That's how it all started.

They met in 1999 at a mutual friend's birthday party. Galina came with a friend and did not pay any attention to Nikolai, whom he introduced. In general, the future star boxer also did not experience an attack of love at first sight. Although the charming girl, showing courtesy, strictly monitored the presence of food on his plate.

Then she offered to take him home. Along the way, they had time to discuss the topic of past relationships. Just at this time, Nikolai broke up with his ex-girlfriend, and Galina with her boyfriend. The new acquaintance nevertheless decided to take the girl's phone number, promising to call the next day. True, he remembered the promise in two days.


Young and in love.

And he was simply stunned when he heard in the handset not the joy of being heard, but deep indignation. Galina scolded him like a boy because he did not keep his promise. However, it was this rebuke that became the reason for their next meeting. Kolya was surprised and interested, because no one spoke to him like that.


She was easy to carry.

The first meeting was followed by a second, then a third. And dates began according to the schedule, twice a week. Nikolai, who was training intensively at that time, simply could not afford more frequent meetings.

Love will come unexpectedly


Nikolai and Galina.

Nikolai was never particularly romantic. He gave the first flowers to Galina when she collected and exhibited his things. He had the imprudence in one of the interviews to say that he had a lot of girls. This was the demand of his promoter, but his beloved was very offended by such a statement. Since then, if the giant comes home with flowers, then the question invariably arises of what he was guilty of this time.


The happiest day.

The boxer also proposed not to Galina herself, but to her father, in the bathhouse. Kolya simply asked if he would give his daughter for him. Naturally, dad agreed, and the bride herself was simply confronted with a fact.


Thus the Valuev family was born.

The wedding also took place somewhere between training and competition. A fragile bride and a huge groom next to her.

ordinary happiness

Spouses Valuev.

How terrible and formidable Nikolai Valuev was always in the ring, how gentle and caring he is in the family. The big and formidable "Beast from the East", as sports commentators called it, crossing the threshold of his own house, became restrained, cozy and warm. He cares deeply for his wife. Only gifts here she does not allow him to give. After he brought her a gift of five pairs of completely unthinkable flat shoes, which he sincerely considered fashionable and beautiful. And his petite wife at that time wore exceptionally elegant and trendy high-heeled shoes. She gave her husband's gift to her girlfriends, but now they always choose gifts together.


Nikolai Valuev with his son Grisha.

In 2002, the first-born, little Grisha, was born in the Valuev family. The boxer at that time was going through very difficult times, being on the verge of depression. He did not have the opportunity to perform and, accordingly, earn money. He spent a lot of time with his newborn son, helping Galina in everything. He looked after the baby, carefully holding the tiny Grisha in his huge hands.

The black streak passed, Valuev became more and more popular and in demand, the family managed to pay off all debts. He was recognized on the streets, asked for an autograph. And he dreamed of running away as soon as possible to his little cozy world, where his beloved wife and their first-born were waiting for him.

Flowers of life

He's not romantic at all.

He was happy, this big man. He had a beloved woman who considered and still considers him the best man on earth. For her, he is the most beautiful, the most intelligent, the most important.


Nikolai Valuev with his daughter.

In 2007, Nikolai Valuev became a dad for the second time, they had a charming princess Irishka with Galina. She melted his heart at first sight. This tiny girl with a serious look, like a mother's, overwhelmed his heart with aching tenderness.


Nikolai Valuev with his youngest son.

In 2012, Nikolai and Galina had a third child, son Sergei. Happiness and pride overwhelm the hearts of the spouses. Nicholas, who always dreamed of three heirs, finally saw his dream come true.

Home is where your heart is


They have been together for over 15 years.

They have been living together for almost 17 years. They are still in love with each other, big Nikolai and little Galina. They have a classic family in which the husband takes care of the financial well-being of the family, and the wife protects the hearth. She always remains his reliable rear. Only next to her can he relax and be himself. An emotional and active wife completely complements her restrained phlegmatic spouse. Galina gladly devotes all her time to her family, not at all considering that she is sacrificing herself. She likes to be the keeper of their warm world, their corner of peace and happy peace.

And Nikolai bakes pancakes for his beloved, because in their family this is an exclusively male duty. He still does not get tired of thanking God for giving him the most important thing in life: a beloved woman, beautiful children and the opportunity to do what he loves.

Nikolai and Galina with older children.

Nikolai turned out to be a surprisingly gentle dad. He enjoys being with his children. The elder one certainly accompanies his father on fishing or hunting trips, his daughter starred in films with her dad at the age of 7, and they take care of the younger one all together. Galina helps her husband in everything, she knows for sure that he will always protect her and her children from any life's hardships and bad weather. This fragile and sweet woman is very weak, but incredibly strong. No matter how difficult it was for her, she always supported her giant. She knew exactly when he needed her words of encouragement, and when he just needed to come up and stand quietly by his side.


Nikolay and Galina Valuevs.

They do not consider it necessary to be nostalgic for the past, remembering the first dates, the first kisses. They stand firmly on their feet, live in the present and look to the future.

Nikolai Valuev. Beauty and the Beast (2009, documentary, Channel One)

The love story of an ordinary girl and the famous boxer, "Russian giant", Nikolai Valuev, which they were able to carry through many years. Galina talked about how they met, when they got married and how their life turned out.

Nikolai Valuev is known to the majority of the country's population as a heavyweight boxer. He repeatedly became the champion of the world and Russia in many fights and competitions. To date, Nikolai Sergeevich is a political figure, actor and television presenter. Moreover, for many years he has been an exemplary family man and father of three children.

Nikolai met his wife Galina, nee Dimitrova, in 1999. This happened before he gained popularity.

Decisive call and the beginning of a relationship

The story of their acquaintance is simple: it happened at the birthday party of a mutual friend. Galina drew attention to the tall stately man. By the way, N. Valuev's height is 217 cm. As the girl herself admits, she always liked large men, thanks to whom she could look like a miniature inch. Galina's height is 163 cm. The conversation began on the topic of culinary preferences. Nikolai still remembers how she kept putting food on his plate all the time.

As expected, the young man took the phone number and promised to call the next day. However, this did not happen. He simply did not attach much importance to this acquaintance. But a few days later, Nikolai nevertheless remembered the pretty Galina, and, dialing the phone number, he heard indignation addressed to him. The girl lamented that adults do not behave like this. Like, he promised to call, but did not call. The frankness of the girl so impressed the athlete that Valuev could not hide his surprise: not a single girl allowed herself such a thing.

Intensive training took a lot of time from a young athlete, there was almost no time for dates. As a rule, meetings were scheduled on Thursdays and Sundays. Galina did not hide that she was a very jealous lady, and therefore she was able to exclude strangers from Nikolai's social circle very quickly.

There was catastrophically little romance in the relationship that had begun. And Valuev presented the first flowers to Galina as a token of apology for the carelessly spoken words during the interview. The journalist asked a question about his personal life, to which Nikolai spoke about the many girls around him. Later in the evening, his future wife met him at home with his things packed and the news that he would now have one less girlfriend.

Trying to make amends, the athlete came with a bouquet of white roses. Since that incident, for each presented bouquet, Galina reasonably asks if her husband has done something.

November 4

"Like in a fairy tale" did not happen. Galina did not wait for a romantic proposal on her knees.

Once Nikolai and his future father-in-law went fishing. During the conversation, Valuev asked for Galina's hand, to which he received a short: "Take it."

However, neither Nikolai nor Galina see anything wrong with this. On the contrary, they are sure that their marriage is blessed by higher powers, because an unusual story happened right before the wedding. A few days before the ceremony, Valuev presented his future wife with a gift - an icon. Not understanding the symbolism, he chose the one that seemed to him the most beautiful. It turned out to be the icon of Our Lady of Kazan. The surprise of the newlyweds knew no bounds when the wedding date was set for November 4 - a celebration in honor of this icon!

As the couple recall, it rained that day in the morning. But as soon as they got out of the limousine, the clouds disappeared and a dazzlingly bright sun appeared in the sky.

Distribution of roles

Galina received an economic education, but after the wedding she abandoned her career, deciding to devote herself to children and creating a home.

Not everything in their lives went smoothly, they had to go through difficult times. Cooperation with one of Nikolai's promoters turned out to be completely unsuccessful: only one fight took place a year. It turned out to get about 2-3 thousand dollars for it, but this money was not enough for anything. Spouses do not hide the fact that sometimes they had to borrow money.

2004 was a decisive year in Nikolai's career. Then he signed a contract with the German manager V. Zaurlandam. Gradually, the financial situation of the Valuev family returned to normal.

In 2005, the athlete won the fight with J. Ruiz and became the world champion. It was then that Nikolai began to receive repeated offers to obtain German citizenship and move. But each time Valuev refused such ideas. Galina, who supported her husband always and in everything, perfectly understood that no amount of money in the world would force her husband to leave Russia.

In ordinary life, outside the chambers and rings, Nikolai is an exemplary family man and a loving father. He admits that he appreciates his wife, since she took on all household issues and the upbringing of children.

Once in their house, you can immediately guess that an unusual person lives here. Everything is arranged for the comfort of a two-meter athlete: doorways, furniture. Even Nikolai's diet is special. Galina joked in an interview that she was preparing 2 pots of food for him: one pot with liquid, the second with solid.

Galina and Nikolai have three children: Grigory, Irina and Sergey. According to the stories of the wife of the famous boxer, he always pampers children and allows them a lot, and Galina has to play the role of a "bad cop".

Surprisingly, the Valuev family is one of the few couples around which there were no gossip, rumors and speculation. Nikolai was never seen in the tabloids with headlines about romance or infidelity.

Currently, Valuev is not an active athlete. He is engaged in a political career and hosts television programs.