Barrett can't come up big vs. Valuev

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- This was not must-see TV last night on HBO. This was shut off your TV.

World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev continued his unbeaten streak, stopping outgunned Monte ``Two Gunz" Barrett at 2:12 of the 11th round with a barrage of wild punches that twice sent Barrett to the floor and had him reeling more from exhaustion than anything else after a long night spent wrestling with a 328-pound opponent who if he didn't have crude skills would have none whatsoever.

Truth be told, the massive champion's most impressive moment came when he stepped over the top rope to enter the ring, his 7-foot-2-inch presence towering over an opponent he outweighed by more than 100 pounds and outreached by 7 inches.

Yet, for much of the night, Valuev seemed ponderous and unsure, seldom using the jab that had been far more effective the night last December he won the title from John Ruiz.

Barrett (31-5, 17 KOs) came out throwing wild overhand rights, many of which landed in the first half but without lasting effect. Valuev countered with his jab, which when it finds its mark lands with a heavy thud, plus a few solid rights that never hurt Barrett but did have him reeling.

Nothing either man threw landed sharply, not even in the final round when Valuev (45-0, 33 KOs) dropped a tired and worn-down Barrett with a short right hook behind a missed left hand. By then, Barrett was exhausted as much from holding and wrestling Valuev as from throwing so many wild punches that missed.

Barrett arose with tired eyes from the first knockdown and retreated toward the ropes as Valuev stalked him, looking to land an uppercut at close range. Finally he dropped it on Barrett, who by now was merely hoping to avoid punches.

Barrett again fell to the floor. He pulled himself up again but Valuev understood he now had in front of him a helpless opponent. Two left hands and another right and Barrett sagged into the ropes as the crowd of 13,482 at Allstate Arena roared its approval. When he came off the ropes, Valuev hit him again and as he did, Barrett's trainer, James Ali Bashir, rushed into the ring and wrapped him in his arms, thus ending what had been an inelegant performance by both men.

Valuev had come to America with high hopes of a spectacular debut on HBO. He got the knockout he and promoters Don King and Wilfried Sauerland hoped for, but by the time it came, spectators had endured long minutes of holding with only an occasional wild overhand right landing.

``To be honest, I was a little nervous," Valuev said. ``I haven't fought in the US for a long time. This was a whole new thing for me. I need to settle down more. The victory wasn't easy today. Monte really tried hard. I knew after four or five rounds I would win, but my trainer said I made many mistakes."

The biggest one might have been exposing himself to an American TV audience rather than remaining an unseen mystery in Germany, where he won the title and has fought most of his career. After last night, more than likely, it's where he'll next defend it as well.

On the undercard, World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion Tomasz Adamek (31-0) defended his title against Paul Briggs (25-2) with a majority decision.

After 12 rounds of bludgeoning, Adamek's eyes were half-shut and he was bleeding from the nose, mouth, and left cheek. Briggs's face had turned an ever deeper shade of pink from all the hard jabs he blocked with it through the long night and his left eye bled.

Dorchester's Kevin McBride (34-5-1) was knocked down three times in less than two rounds by Chicago's Mike Mollo (17-1) before the fight was stopped at 2:06 of the second round after Mollo twice sent the conqueror of Mike Tyson to the canvas with a string of left hands to the ear, ribs, and, finally, chin.