The Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley vs. Diego “La Joya” Chaves and Mauricio Herrera vs. Jose Benavidez Jr. now has a third exciting fight, on Saturday, December 13, inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, with Matt Korobov and Andy Lee battling for a vacant title strap. The tripleheader will be televised live on HBO.
“Matt Korobov and Andy Lee will thrill fans in their battle for World Middleweight Championship at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Adding this bout to the already stacked December 13 show featuring Timothy Bradley vs. Diego Chaves and Jose Benavidez vs. Mauricio Herrera makes this an incredible triple header and a wonderful way to close out the year.” said Todd duBoef, president, Top Rank.
“Andy Lee is legitimately one of the best middleweights in the world and he will prove that when he defeats Matt Korobov,” said Lou DiBella. “Korobov-Lee is an evenly matched fight that is sure to bring fireworks. December 13 will be a great night for boxing fans.”
Korobov (24-0, 13 KOs), a 2008 Russian Olympian and stellar amateur, made his long-awaited HBO debut in his last fight which took place on June 28. In a battle of undefeated contenders, Korobov won a unanimous decision over Jose Uzcategui (22-0, 18 KOs), to capture the WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight title. Uzcategui had stopped 10 of his 11 previous opponents before that.
Now based in St, Petersburg, Fla., Korobov, a six-year veteran of the pro ranks, enters this fight having won three of his last five fights by knockout, including a sixth-round stoppage of Emil Gonzalez on April 16. Korobov is currently world-rated No. 1 by the WBO.
Lee (33-2, 23 KOs), who at 6’2, is three inches taller than Korobov, was born in London but is Irish of heritage. Ireland’s sole boxing representative in the 2004 Olympics, Lee made his professional debut in 2006, winning a six-round decision over Anthony Cannon.
Trained at the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit by the late Hall of Fame inductee Emanuel Steward, who referred to Lee as “my left-handed Tommy Hearns,” Lee possesses exceptional skills, speed and movement, complemented by good punching power and experience against good opposition. He enters this fight riding a two-year, five-bout winning streak with three of those victories coming inside the distance since unsuccessfully challenging previously-undefeated defending World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in 2012.
In his last fight, on June 7, Lee knocked out once-beaten John Jackson (18-1, 15 KOs) in the fifth round. Lee is world-rated No. 4 by the WBO.
