Sergei Kobozev

Sergey Kobozev (Kostroma, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union; 20 July 1964–8 November 1995) was a Russian boxer, who challenged for the WBC Cruiserweight title in 1995. He is also known as a first boxer to defeat John Ruiz. He proved to be a tough slugger, but his career ended early for he has been killed by the mafia.[1]

Sergey Viktorovich Kobozev
Statistics
Real nameSergey Viktorovich Kobozev
Nickname(s)Russian Bear
NationalityRussian
Born(1964-07-20)July 20, 1964
Kostroma, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
DiedNovember 8, 1995(1995-11-08) (aged 31)
Livingston, New Jersey
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights23
Wins21
Wins by KO17
Losses1
Draws1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Soviet Union
European Championships
1989 Athens Light heavyweight
Army Championships of the Socialist Countries
1984 Yaroslavl Heavyweight
1987 Rostov Light heavyweight
1989 Sliven Light heavyweight

Kobozev was the Cruiserweight Champion of the Soviet Union. After moving to the United States, he continued his undefeated career and became the International Boxing Federation Cruiserweight Champion in July 1994. He was scheduled to fight Orlin Norris on March 12, 1995, for the WBA World Cruiserweight title, but the fight didn't happen. In a bout for the WBC Cruiserweight title on October 24, 1995, he lost his title shot via a split decision. Shortly thereafter he was given another title shot opportunity at a rematch scheduled for December 13 for which he was training,[2] he also had three big matches coming up,[3] but on November 8, 1995, Kobozev was reported missing by his girlfriend Lina Cherskikh.[4][5][6] Later surfaced that Kobozev was murdered by Russian mafia after a bar scuffle at Brooklyn's Paradise Club the weekend of November 3, 1995.[1]

Early life

Kobozev had been a captain in the Soviet Army and held a degree in chemistry from the Institute of Moscow, before he made his name as a cruiserweight on the Soviet national boxing team.

Amateur career

As an amateur, Kobozev held wins over Ali Al-Baluchi, Garry Delaney.

Highlights

Professional career

In 1990 Kobozev went to the United States, he lived fourth-floor apartment on 16th Street in a working-class section of Sheepshead Bay with his live-in companion Yelena Cherskikh, and her 7-year-old son, Vitaly. He was managed by Thomas Gallagher and trained by Peter Kahn.

He received a shot at the WBC title vacated by recently retired Anaclet Wamba, for which Kobozev fought Marcelo Fabian Dominguez in Paris and lost via a controversial decision.

Early in November 1995 Kobozev started training for a December 13 rematch versus Marcelo Fabian Dominguez to whom he lost a split decision, but soon he disappeared.[3]

Kobozev's ring record was 22 wins and 1 loss in 23 professional outings.

Disappearance

Kobozev disappeared in November 1995, just 2 weeks after losing a close split decision for the WBC Cruiserweight title, his very first career loss.

Murder

The mystery surrounding his death was solved when his bones were found by the FBI in March 1999 in the backyard of the Russian Mafia's #2: Alexander Spitchenko in Livingston, New Jersey, United States where his body was buried in a shallow grave.

Kobozev was allegedly murdered by two reputed Russian mobsters, Alexander Nosov and Vasiliy Ermichine. Natan Gozman, a third defendant charged in the murder, remained a fugitive until February 2005, when he was arrested in Poland and extradited to New York, where he awaits trial.

Prosecutors said that the Russian mob allegedly turned against Kobozev because he worked as a part-time security guard at a Brooklyn restaurant from which Nosov was ejected after a fight with a musician. Several days after the fight, the defendants and a third member of the gang unexpectedly encountered Kobozev at a car repair shop, where they confronted him about the fight before Nosov shot him, authorities said. Still alive, Kobozev was put in a jeep and driven to the Livingston, N.J., home of a high-ranking member of the crime group, where his neck was broken by Ermichine after Kobozev asked to be taken to a hospital, prosecutors said.

Professional boxing record
21 Wins (17 knockouts, 4 decisions), 1 Loss (1 decision), 1 Draw
Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss 18-1-1 Marcelo Fabian Dominguez SD 12 24/10/1995 Palais Marcel Cerdan, Levallois-Perret, Hauts-de-Seine WBC World Cruiserweight Title. 113-116, 113-115, 116-115.
Win 10-8 Art Bayliss TKO 5 24/06/1995 Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 20-9-3 Dale Jackson TKO 2 29/03/1995 Lexington Avenue Armory, New York City
Win 7-7-1 Doug "Dig-em-Up" Davis TKO 8 17/12/1994 Trump Taj Majal, Atlantic City, New Jersey Referee stopped the bout at 1:35 of the eighth round.
Win 24-6 "Boxing" Andrew Maynard TKO 10 27/08/1994 Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida IBF USBA Cruiserweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 1:37 of the tenth round.
Win 25-2-1 Robert Daniels RTD 8 30/06/1994 Trump Castle, Atlantic City, New Jersey IBF USBA Cruiserweight Title. Daniels did not come out for the eighth round.
Win 11-16-2 Eddie Curry KO 1 13/04/1994 Raleigh, North Carolina
Win 14-0 John Ruiz SD 10 12/08/1993 Casino Magic, Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi 95-97, 96-94, 98-94.
Win 14-25-2 Danny Wofford UD 8 21/05/1993 Marriott Hotel, Uniondale, New York
Win 10-6-2 Ken Jackson TKO 2 21/03/1993 Trump Taj Majal, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 2-1-1 Kevin "The Monster" Parker UD 6 24/01/1993 Trump Taj Majal, Atlantic City, New Jersey 59-54, 59-55, 59-54.
Win 5-3 Kelvin Beatty TKO 3 10/12/1992 Trump Taj Majal, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 4-4-1 Doug "Dig-em-Up" Davis TKO 4 23/10/1992 Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Win 8-10-3 Carl Lee Wilson TKO 2 25/09/1992 Friar Tuck Inn, Catskill, New York
Win 4-2 Dwayne Hall TKO 2 14/08/1992 Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 6-5 Howard "Butch" Kelly RTD 3 01/07/1992 Metropole Night Club, Brooklyn, New York Kelly did not come out for the fourth round.
Win 1-3-1 Frank Dupree UD 6 20/06/1991 Aspen Hotel, Parsippany, New Jersey
Win -- Aleksandr Mitrofanov KO 7 17/02/1991 Grozny, Chechen-Ingush ASSR USSR Cruiserweight Title.
Win -- Rafael Akopov KO 3 01/12/1990 Barnaul, RSFSR
Win 0-1-1 Nurmagomed Shanavazov KO 2 03/11/1990 Sport Palace Gornyak, Rudniy, Kazakh SSR
Draw 0-1 Nurmagomed Shanavazov PTS 8 30/09/1990 Rostov-na-Donu, RSFSR
Win -- Mikhail Poluyanov KO 2 02/06/1990 Riga, Latvian SSR
Win -- Andrey Korotaev KO 6 31/03/1990

References
  1. No trace of boxer. But cops eye link to scuffle by Molly Cordy, Daily News from New York, November 26, 1995, p. 26.
  2. Missing boxer's car found by Jose Lambiet, Daily News from New York, November 14, 1995.
  3. Boxer's car is found by Alice McQuillan, Daily News from New York, November 14, 1995.
  4. Soviet boxer missing, Elyria Chronicle Telegram Newspaper, November 13, 1995, p. 13.
  5. Missing fighter's car found, Syracuse Herald Journal, November 14, 1995, p. 30.
  6. Immigrant boxer's tale rewritten as a mystery by Ira Berkow, Detroit Free Press, November 27, 1995, Page 7D.
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