Matt Korobov should have a title at 168lb. He can beat anyone in the division except Benavidez. I dont know who his promoter is but he needs to take as many fights as necessary to get a title shot. If Truax or Degale could get a title there is no reason Korobov cant get one of the belts. ANDY LEE basically ruined his career.
TBH I think Kovalev ruined his career in an amateur fight. Someone posted it here not too long ago, it was at AM MW (165). Ive always heard how great Korobov was and this and that but never understood it. I watched the fight and Korobov looked nothing like ive ever seen from him before and for the first two rounds was bouncing all over the place, slick, hard to cut off, and ringing up the points. Third round Kovalev had his timing zoned in and staged a furious comeback and it looked as if the bounced in Korobov's feet and reflexes sapped with every landed punch. There was a clear size disparity between the two, obviously Kovalev was the noticeably bigger fighter. I doubt Korobov has looked like he used to since, and currently would probably even pick Truax and Degale to beat him.
What has Korobov ever shown as a pro or even as an AM post 2005-6 that would make anyone think he would have been or could become a distinguished titleist? Ive seen plenty of him in that time frame and at his best he has been average. Ya, at a point in time in his amateur career -- about a 1 1/2 to 2 year stretch he was the best in the world and absolutely was a special fighter and incredible talent. That Korobov was way slicker than BJS at his best, had beautiful footwork and skills, and great speed of foot, hand, and reflex. That guy has been gone well over a decade and hes not gonna return. I'm telling you, Kovalev and his heavy hands beat the talent and gifts out of him in an AM fight. Hes never been the same since and never will be again. It happens, especially against noticeably bigger opponents who have otherworldly weight in their shots.
Who is Korobovs promoter? He just needs to fight more often. I dont see why he cant beat most fighters at 168lb, the only really good fighter is Benavidez.
I love Andy Lee as much as anyone but as a fighter he had serious flaws and was never gonna be a world beater. And regardless of what he did in the Lee fight, like I said, hes never been what he was when he truly made his name in the AMs. His hype is from then. He is NOTHING like that fighter he used to be and never will be. Average at best.
People here are always licking Korobov's balls when the reality is he was fully dealt with by a hard-hitting but limited Andy Lee. Nothing to see here. Young Christopher would eat him up.
His time has probably gone given his age now. Real shame, really. I spoke to Korobov some time ago about the Andy Lee fight and he laments his decision making - he should have held. He was winning comfortably but Lee can do that, he has real one shot power. To be fair, his win over Uzi has aged very well.
