Matt Korobov wants a rematch with Chris Eubank Jr.

Korobov just doesn’t envision that happening, not after what the Russian southpaw believes Eubank learned during the first round of their fight a year ago at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. All three judges scored the first round of their scheduled 12-round middleweight title fight for Korobov last December 7, but Korobov suffered a tear to the rotator cuff in his left shoulder early in the second round and couldn’t continue.

England’s Eubank beat Korobov by second-round technical knockout due to Korobov’s injury. Korobov knows that their brief battle didn’t prove who is the superior fighter, yet he is resigned to Eubank denying him a rematch.

“He’s never going to fight me again,” Korobov told krikya360.com. “He’s quiet. Where is he?”

The 37-year-old Korobov is in Uncasville, Connecticut, where he’ll face Ronald Ellis on Saturday night. Showtime will televise their 10-round middleweight match as the opener of Showtime’s tripleheader from Mohegan Sun Arena (9 p.m. EST; 6 p.m. PST).

Showtime aired the Eubank-Korobov bout as well.

The shoulder injury Korobov suffered that night kept him out of the gym until late in March and prevented him from sparring until July. A surgeon suggested a procedure to repair his shoulder, but Korobov got second and third opinions that made him rehabilitate his shoulder through medication, physical therapy and rest.

As happy as he’ll be to return to the ring Saturday night, his loss to Eubank bothers Korobov.

“I guess he has enjoyed this time and how easily he got his title,” Korobov said in reference to the WBA interim middleweight title Eubank won by beating him. “He has a big mouth and talks sh-t about everybody else, with no respect. But everybody knows how he got this title. He didn’t prove himself and now he’s running away from me. That’s for sure. He knows it’s not right. As a man and a professional boxer, he should be offering me to fight again. That’s how he can prove he can beat me and that he should hold this title.”

Mike Borao and Jameel McCline, Korobov’s co-managers, have focused on trying to land another rematch against WBC middleweight champ Jermall Charlo. Houston’s Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) beat Korobov by unanimous decision in a closely contested 12-rounder in December 2018 at Barclays Center.

“I didn’t think Eubank was gonna fight Matt the first time,” Borao said. “So, the second time, you can forget it. It’s not gonna happen. I think he has already publicly said, ‘Why would I fight [Korobov] again?’ He’s already champion and he knows he got lucky. He knew what was happening after the first round. He was totally out-classed.

“That’s why we’re focused on Charlo, because Charlo has proven he’ll fight guys. He just had a great performance against [Sergiy] Derevyanchenko, so a fight with him and Matt is realistic, whereas the other one is fantasy. After that first round, he’ll never get in the ring with Matt again. Charlo’s a real man. I think he would do it.”

Korobov (28-3-1, 14 KOs), of Lantana, Florida, is a slight favorite to defeat the 31-year-old Ellis (17-1-2, 11 KOs, 1 NC), of Lynn, Massachusetts.

Following Korobov-Ellis, Showtime will broadcast a 10-round junior welterweight bout between Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins (11-0, 5 KOs) and Dominican veteran Argenis Mendez (25-5-3, 12 KOs, 1 NC). In the main event, Brooklyn’s Chris Colbert (14-0, 5 KOs) will defend his WBA interim 130-pound championship against Panama’s Jaime Arboleda (16-1, 13 KOs) in a 12-rounder. 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.