Dr. Stefi Cohen Set to Face Paola Ortiz

Dr. Stefanie Cohen is scheduled to face Paola "La Loba" Ortiz at the Lumcolor-Phoenix Center (formerly the California Education and Performance Arts Center) in Ontario, California, USA on Saturday, October 22.

The 30 year old Cohen (2-1-1, one KO) is coming off of her first career loss. On July 8, Stefi was outboxed by Devany Cuevas Torres, and Cohen lost a unanimous decision. While Cuevas won two rounds convincingly, two others were close and could've gone Cohen's way for a draw.

Cohen holds a PhD, was a good soccer player, is an entrepreneur, social media star, and world-record holding powerlifter. The native of Venezuela began boxing later than usual but has made remarkable strides in a short period of time despite the loss to Cuevas.

Paola Ortiz (1-7-1) is a 29 year old from Mexico who is now based in Houston, Texas. She began her pro career in 2013 and lost her first five fights. She then fought Susan Reno twice in 2015. After the pair fought to a majority draw in February that year, they made history in their fight on May 15 at the Masonic Temple, in Brooklyn. The six-rounder became the first female fight in New York state to have three-minute rounds. Ortiz won that "fast paced" fight by unanimous decision. She then took nearly five years off.

"La Loba" returned to the ring on March 7, 2020, the weekend before covid-19 shut everything down. Shanecqua Paisley Davis used her reach advantage, faster hands, and quicker feet to shutout Ortiz in a four-round affair. Ortiz showed rust early: her jab was tentative and her reactions were delayed. As the fight progressed though, she began dipping her left shoulder and unleashing hard overhand rights.

A year and half later, Aliyah Pequeno completely outclassed Ortiz. She landed combinations from the outside and used an in-and-out style effectively. Paola's hands were too slow to compete, and she ate a lot of clean shots. Her corner pulled her out of the fight following the second round.

Cohen should be able to box effectively against Ortiz or slug with her if she chooses, as long as Stefi avoids Paola's overhand right. Ortiz, who prefers to wear long baggy trunks in the ring, uses some upper-body movement, but her best defensive attribute is a good chin. Ortiz is a great comeback opponent for Cohen because she's game and has some skill, but is too slow for Stefi, who should be able to work on her technique in the ring.

This bout is scheduled for four two-minute rounds.