Nikolay Valuev became the tallest and heaviest champion in boxing history with a controversial points win over WBA heavyweight holder John Ruiz.
Ruiz, no midget at 6ft 2, tries to get under the guard of the 7ft Russian
The 114-114, 116-113, 116-114 decision was met by jeers and Ruiz's coach Norman Stone grabbed the belt and yelled insults at the Valuev camp.
Ruiz, who sprinted into the ring, picked off the lumbering Russian easily and cut him below the left eye.
Valuev rocked Ruiz with a left in the eighth and edged the final round.
Many of the sell-out 10,000 crowd in the Max-Schmeling arena in Berlin thought Ruiz, the defending champion, had done enough to retain his title and keep alive his dream of a unification fight with Hasim Rahman.
Both men tired towards the end of the fight, but Ruiz caught the 7ft tall Valuev - who weighs 24st - with a left in the final round and the Russian was warned for holding.
The big man saved up a right-left combination, however, wobbling Ruiz with 90 seconds remaining, and that just swung the decision in his favour.
"I had to wait 12 years for this and now it has happened," the 32-year-old Valuev said. "It's fantastic."
Promoter Don King said that he would take the Russian, known as the Beast from the East, to America for his next fight.
"He's ready and we want America to know that he's coming," King said.
Ruiz was far from satisfied with the outcome and said: "Boxing is the only sport where you can get robbed without a gun.
"My promoter Don King should do his job and get a rematch."
Meanwhile, the legendary Muhammad Ali received a major German peace prize for his work with the United Nations promoting civil rights.
Ali, now 63, collected the Otto Hahn peace medal in Berlin and then watched his daughter Laila win on the undercard of the Ruiz-Valuev contest.