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Sergey Kobozev-Victim of the Mob


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There are two things Sergey Kobozev and Sonny Liston had in common: they were both just over 6 feet tall and they were both victims of organised criminals, their lives taken by mobsters. Sergey Kobozev had everything to make it in the sport: dubbed The Russian Bear, he was very strong physically (he also worked as a bouncer), had the punch and the skills to make it big. But due to the development of Russian mob in USA, his life and career would end prematurely and tragically. He was only beaten once as a professional, by a split decision to a distinguished fighter and world champion, Marcelo Fabian Dominguez. He is also known as the first man to defeat John Ruiz in the pros. He was a cruiserweight and posted a record of 22 wins, 18 by ko, and 1 loss.

 

Born in Kostroma, Russia, then Soviet Union, on 20 July 1964, Kobozev was a captain in the Red Army and a chemical engineer at the St. Petersburg university. He was also a member of the Soviet national boxing team before he started boxing as a pro in 1990. Standing 6 1/2 feet tall, he was a muscular guy who fought as a cruiserweight from the start and won the Russian cruiser title in February 1991 by KO 7 against Alexander Mitrofanov. Soon thereafter, he relocated to USA and joined Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, where he was trained by Tommy Gallagher. His first fight there was in June that year, a fight he won by UD6. He slowly but steadily made his way through the US ranks and stopped most of his opponents. He had the killer instinct and the looks to be a star on a major network. On 12 August 1993, he faced his first true opponent: the 14-0 John "Quietman" Ruiz, who would later become the first Latin heavyweight world champion. Both came in weighing just over 195 pounds. Ruiz had the edge in jabs but Kobozev landed more big shots and came away with a split decision after 10 rounds. The fight was aired on ESPN and was his first great exposure. Kobozev landed only 39 jabs to Ruiz's 177 but clearly outlanded him in the power punching department with 172 punches to only 88 for Ruiz. Ruiz was known for his rather boring style which mostly consisted of jabbing and clinching, but the physically strong Kobozev wouldn't let himself be bullied. Naturally, the American judges preferred to give the fight to the guy who punches rather than one who jabs, two of them anyway. Next year in June, he landed a fight for the vacant USBA title against the former WBA champion Robert Daniels. It was held at the Trump Castle in Atlantic City on 30 June and Kobozev was dominant in a rather one-sided fight, making Daniels quit on his stool after 8 rounds. He was ahead by 7, 10 and 13 points at the time. Daniels had previously only lost to Bobby Czyz by a split decision and would never lose again at this weight for 9 years, when he was past prime.

 

The Russian Bear made only one defense of his title when he stopped Andrew Maynard by TKO 10 in Miami Beach on 27 August same year. He then vacated his belt and after knocking out 3 minor opponents, he was given a chance to win the interim WBC title, held by the Argentinian brawler Marcelo Fabian Dominguez. This time he had to go to Paris and the fight happened on 24 October 1995. Perhaps it had come too soon for him, perhaps it was other things that kicked in, for he lost the fight by split decision. He left his wife and baby son behind when he came to USA and he would never see them again. It is believed he was going to divorce his wife. He had also shacked up with another Russian immigrant, Lina Cherskih and lived with her in a one-bedroom appartment in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Only 15 days after his first pro loss, Kobozev was murdered on 8 November, by members of the Russian mob. As mentioned, he worked as a bouncer at a club which was frequented by some of the members of the mob. One of them, Alexander Nosov, had punched a musician after an argument and Kobozev tried to calm down the situation, before getting into a short fistfight with Nosov and his friend Vasiliy Ermichin. Naturally, Kobozev won but this only earned him enmity from the Mob. He was last seen at 6 PM that 8th November, leaving a garage in his car. After Cherskih reported him as missing, the search began. He was not found until March 1999, in a shallow grave. His neck had been broken, by Vasiliy Ermichin. Nosov and Ermichin had confronted him at a car shop and Nosov shot him after a brief conversation where at first Nosov appeared friendly, after which they drove him off to Livingston, New Jersey, where a high-ranking mobster lived. He asked to be taken to a hospital after a brutal beating, after which his neck was broken.

 

This was a truly dark and brutal ending for such a talent and hopeful boxer. He was described as a mature guy by one of his sparring partners, another former cruiserweight-hopeful Don Diego Poeder, who also said everyone in the gym treated Kobozev with respect. "He had a way about him, quiet but confident. He seemed more mature than a lot of guys." In the end, he got in the way of the wrong people, but the fact that he took on two guys whom he knew were in organised crime says something about his courage and toughness. He did the right thing, but with the wrong outcome. His killers were convicted on 5 December 2001 and all three (third one was of Hispanic descent) were imprisoned for life. Justice was indeed served.

Edited by BoztheMadman
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