(CNN) -- David overcame Goliath as Britain's David Haye claimed the WBA world heavyweight title with a majority 12-round points victory over giant Russian Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg on Saturday night.

Valuev had a massive advantage in height and weight, towering over former cruiserweight champion Haye, but the challenger fought a clever tactical fight to win the verdict of the three judges.

One scored it a 114-114 draw with the two others giving it 116-112 in Haye's favor.

The flamboyant Briton reserved his best until the final round, catching the eye of the judges with a series of combinations which came close to flooring a well-beaten Valuev, who had lost just one of his previous 52 fights.
Blog: Wily David out-thought Goliath.

Haye, supported by a strong British contingent, said that the victory was the fulfillment of a childhood dream.

"Ever since I was little, I said that one day I would be heavyweight champion of the world," he told ringside reporters.

"It's a dream come true."

The 29-year-old Haye is the first British world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis retired in 2003.

From the first bell, Haye, who is now 23-1, looked the sharper, unsettling Valuev with smart hooks, the Russian shaking his head to say he had not been hurt.

But the shots were scoring points with the judges and it was not until the seventh that Valuev could be clearly seen to have won a round.

Haye landed significant shots in the ninth and 10th and upping the ante in the final round rocked the champion with two huge left hooks which rounded off a superb performance against man with a 44 kilogram weight advantage and standing 28 centimeters taller.

He now faces a mandatory title defense against American John Ruiz, who won a WBA eliminator in a bout on the undercard.