Photograph sparks rumors of potential Klitschko vs. Valuev fight

This photo is making the rounds in the German an Russian press, confirming the recent face to face meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia between WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and former champion Nikolai Valuev. BoxingScene.com reported on Tuesday that Klitschko met with Valuev during a weekend trip to St. Petersburg. Klitschko made a face to face final offer of $1.5 million for a fight in the fall. Klitschko has been in St. Petersburg for a few days with his wife Natalia. They went there for the purpose of a minor vacation, but Vitali also held several business meetings, including the meeting with Valuev.

"It wasn't my goal for going there. I had scheduled several meetings of a personal nature, and besides, I was together with my wife Natalia. We were invited to the Mariinsky Theatre for a music festival. I also met with my possible next opponent. Of course I'm talking about one of the most famous athletes in St. Petersburg - Nikolai Valuev," Klitschko told Pravda. "It is always better to communicate without intermediaries so the information is not distorted. The less middlemen, the better."

"I offered Nikolai one and a half million American dollars for a fight. I'm not going to bargain. If he refuses this offer, I shall box against other contender - someone who is high up in the rankings. For Nikolai, motivation should be enough. In fact, he gets the opportunity to fight for the most prestigious championship belt - which was owned at one time by Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Regardless, there is a purse attached for an amount that he never received in the past, even when he was the champion."