Life led fighter to ring

By Jeff Haney

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Known for its Stalin-era convict-labor camps, Matt Korobov’s hometown of Orotukan lies in the forbidding Magadan Oblast region of Russia, one of the sprawling nation’s most remote areas.

Even so, videocassettes of blockbuster boxing matches — their images portraying the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler — made their way to the far-flung location, a fount of inspiration for the boxer as a young man.

“All my life I’ve loved watching pro boxing,” said Korobov, a 2008 Russian Olympian and two-time amateur world champ who makes his professional debut Saturday at Mandalay Bay. “There was time to go to school, time to go to training, time to watch boxing tapes. That was all I ever needed.”

Korobov, described by Top Rank boss Bob Arum as the most talented amateur boxer in the world, fights Juan Ruiz in a four-round middleweight bout on the undercard of Saturday’s pay-per-view show that pits Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. against Matt Vanda in the main event.

The fight marks the beginning of Korobov’s crusade for a potential world championship as a pro. It also marks the culmination of a long and winding amateur road for Korobov and his family, who were separated for a decade before a tearful reunion at a tournament last year.

Korobov’s father, George, was forced to flee his homeland in 1998 after he lost his gold and jewelry business in the Russian economic meltdown that year. George Korobov, who would transport jewelry from Moscow and sell it in his shop in Orotukan, still blames former Russian President Boris Yeltsin for precipitating the financial crisis that he says decimated his life.

“My family, my business, my everything was gone,” said George Korobov, who turned his son on to boxing by taking him to the gym and playing Ali videos for him as a youngster. “That was when I went to America.”

When his parents moved to the U.S., settling in Lantana, Fla., Matt Korobov — whose Russian name is Matvey — stayed behind to train with an eye on eventually making the Olympic team and then pursuing a professional career.

He won the 165-pound world military championship in 2002 and 2003, and captured gold medals in the world amateur championships in 2005 and 2007.

Although he kept in touch through frequent phone calls — as many as a three a day — Korobov did not see his family from the time they left Russia until the 2007 world championships in Chicago.

“It was hugs and tears all around,” George Korobov said. “Matvey crying, my wife crying, me crying.”

It was also in Chicago that Matt Korobov hooked up with manager Cameron Dunkin, who had known Korobov by reputation but was blown away by seeing him fight live.

“I knew it in 30 seconds,” said Dunkin, who was sitting with the Russian delegation at the tournament. “I jumped up out of my seat. He was so composed and so fast, and he hits so hard. He was very smart and balanced. I just fell in love with him.”

Originally expecting to encounter a fighter with a rough-edged disposition, Dunkin was impressed by Korobov’s even-keeled, pleasant personality.

“He’s very clean-living and dedicated to the sport, the kind of guy I like,” Dunkin said.

Korobov, who has settled in Florida near his parents and brother, Alex, trains at the St. Pete Boxing Club under the guidance of two-time trainer of the year Dan Birmingham with assistance from George Korobov, who had a 10-year amateur career himself in Russia.

“He’s probably the most disciplined kid I’ve worked with, and I’ve worked with a lot of good fighters,” said Birmingham, renowned for his work with Winky Wright and Jeff Lacy. “He’s very disciplined with his diet and his rest. He doesn’t go to nightclubs. He has a fiancee in the Ukraine who’s coming over to the U.S., and he’s not out there chasing girls.

“He’s focused on what he wants to do in life, and that’s become a world champion.”

Birmingham also gave Korobov high marks for his ring acumen. It’s not surprising for a fighter who names Sugar Ray Leonard, who Korobov studied on videotape growing up, as his favorite boxer.

“He’s got a gift from God,” Birmingham said. “His footwork is just perfect. He’s got great hand speed and he’s very accurate.

“He’s got enormous potential. He’s got Oscar De La Hoya-like potential.”

Arum also invoked De La Hoya’s name, likening 25-year-old Korobov to other highly touted Olympic boxers.

Top Rank signed De La Hoya after the 1992 Olympics, Arum pointed out, Floyd Mayweather Jr. out of the 1996 Games, and Miguel Cotto in 2000.

“We always look for the top guy coming out of the amateurs,” Arum said. “He’s going to make a tremendous impact on the world of professional boxing.”