Cohen Out, Lazarev In

Lightweight Igor Lazarev is scheduled to fight Angelo Peña on December 26 at Kursaal Arena in Bern, Switzerland. Dr. Stefi Cohen was originally scheduled to fight on this card, but she is now off it. She is currently is Switzerland with her coach Dr. Pedro Diaz running training sessions, but will head back to the States before the 26th.

Lazarev, 35 years old, is 8-2 with 3 KOs. After winning his first six pro bouts, Lazarev suffered a setback last year. He then won two straight before dropping his last bout on points. On November 27, Igor battled Greg McGuinness in a six-round affair in McGuinness's hometown. The southpaw's aggression carried the day, but Lazarev showed some slick and clever boxing ability at times during the fight.

Peña is making his pro debut at 27 years old. From just outside Bern, Peña is a southpaw with an experienced amateur career. According to SwissBoxing.com, he amassed an amateur record of 34-7 from 2017 until his last bout on November 21. He showed a quick jab and good footwork in the unpaid ranks.

This six-round bout is scheduled for the featherweight division. The lightest Lazarev has weighed in for a fight is 131.5 pounds. He was 133.5 for his last fight a couple of weeks ago. Peña fought as a 126 pounder in the amateurs. This will be the seventh different country Igor has fought in as a pro boxer. The adventurous Israeli has also boxed in Moldova, Ukraine, Albania, Turkey, Bulgaria, and England. In addition, he participated in a couple of unofficial boxing matches held in a circular ring in Israel a couple of years ago.