Stefi Cohen really puts the “power” in “powerlifter.” On Friday, June 4, 2021, the world champion lifter knocked her opponent out in round three of her boxing debut. The event — Noche De Nocaut by Mundo Boxing — took place at the hotel Catalonia in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Cohen is officially 1-0. Her opponent was Haydee Zapa of Colombia. As of June 4, Zapa’s record is now 4-4-0.
The fight occurred at 126 pounds and was scheduled for four rounds. The women were the second to last fight on the seven-fight card (headlined by Anthony Martinez of Florida and Christian Galvez of the Dominican Republic). In a clip posted to the Hybrid Performance Method gym’s Instagram page, you can see Cohen throw a couple of slick jabs — one to the body, one to the head — before bombarding Zapa with a flurry of short punches that sat her to the canvas. Zapa’s coach called the fight off. You can watch the video below.
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Cohen took to her Instagram after her fight with Zapa and only had this to say: “1-0 by KO. Woke up — chose violence. Onto the next.” Unless Cohen has another fight scheduled that she’s yet to announce, then her next fight will be on Sept. 18, 2021, in Las Vegas.
On June 3, 2021, CoreSports announced that Cohen will fight Avril Mathie (5-0-1) as a part of the card that features CrossFit Games veterans Josh Bridges vs. Jacob Heppner and is headlined by 2018 and 2017 WSM winners Hafthor Björnsson and Eddie Hall.
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Of course, Cohen is no stranger to being in the spotlight. In total, she’s accumulated 25 powerlifting world records by the time she was 28, which is essentially one record for every year she’s been alive. In February of 2020, Cohen smoked three new all-time world records in the women’s 51-kilogram weight class — 202.5-kilogram squat, a 205-kilogram deadlift, and a total of 510 kilograms. She is also the owner of the Hybrid Performance Center and a doctor of physical therapy.
With a win under her figurative lifting belt, Cohen’s boxing career is off to a hot start. She’s fast, she’s strong, and she’s motivated. But will that be enough to fend off her more experienced opponent come Sept. 18, 2021? We’re excited to find out.
Featured image: @steficohen on Instagram
