Nikolai Valuev vs. John Ruiz II was a professional boxing match contested on 30 August 2008, for the WBA heavyweight championship.

The rematch was set for 5 July, however the fight had to be cancelled after Chagaev suffered a complete tear of an Achilles tendon during his final sparring session in preparation for the defense.

As a result he WBA elected to make Chagaev "Champion in Recess" due to the injury that and it's the necessary recovery time.

[3] They also mandated that Valuev and number two ranked contender John Ruiz meet for the vacated title.

[10] As that bout was cancelled following Chagaev failing a Finnish medical test, Ruiz stepped aside as mandatory challenger so Valuev could fight former unified Cruiserweight Champion David Haye.