Career
Kobozev had been a captain in the Russian army and was a chemical engineer in Saint St. Petersburg before he made his name as a cruiserweight on the Soviet national boxing team Kobozev"s ring record was 22 wins and 1 loss in 23 professional outings. Kobozev disappeared in November 1995, just 2 weeks after losing a close split decision for the WBC Cruiserweight title, his very first career loss.
The mystery surrounding his death was solved when his bones were found by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in March 1999 in the backyard of the Russian Mafia"s #2: Alexander Spitchenko in Livingston, New Jersey, United States of America 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.