RUSSIAN giant Nikolai Valuev will fight fellow former champion John Ruiz for the vacant WBA heavyweight title before August 31, it was announced yesterday, following the injury to Ruslan Chagaev.

David Cronenberg’s ‘Eastern Promises’ (Pathé, €24.99) is a chilling thriller, with Viggo Mortensen playing Nikolai, an enigmatic driver-turned-killer for an east European crime lord.

KELLY PAVLIK has coped uneasily with the fame which has been foisted upon him since the Youngstown, Ohio hero dethroned Jermain Taylor to claim the world middleweight title last February.

Viggo Mortensen has attributed his big screen success to his starring role in 'Lord of the Rings'.

SAN Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds struggled to describe his emotions after blasting his 755th career home run to equal Hank Aaron’s record on Saturday evening.