Brooklyn Barwick Calls Out Danielle Cohen, Cohen Responds

After scoring her second career knockout and tackling the Team Combat League in the span of eight days, Brooklyn "The Big Deal" Barwick is looking for bigger challenges. One such challenge could be a fellow Jewish fighter, Danielle "Pitbull" Cohen.

"I'm the only female Jewish professional boxer in the U.S." Barwick told The Jewish Boxing Blog. "Cohen's a Jewish combat sports athlete. She's ain't a boxer; she's an MMA girl."

The 25 year old junior featherweight had a message for Cohen, a 28 year old lightweight from Florida, "If she wants to come down to featherweight, I'll whoop her ass."

"Tell her management to contact my manager," Cohen responded. "Let's book the fight."

Both fighters are 2-0. Barwick has two KOs while Cohen has one. Cohen has a fight scheduled for June 28. Barwick last fought on May 30.

Cohen is taller, bigger, and has more combat experience, but Barwick has made great strides recently. If it happens, it'll surely be an exciting battle. Barwick is a come-forward fighter who can bang to the body. Cohen is typically a potshot artist from the outside. It all makes for a fascinating clash of styles.

There's also the possibility of history being made. The great champion Hagar Finer faced Jewish opponents in Israel early in her career, but a fight between Barwick and Cohen would potentially be the first professional boxing match between two Jewish women in the United States.

Barwick

Cohen

Igor Lazarev to Face Olympian Wyatt Sanford

Junior welterweight Igor Lazarev is in tough on June 27 against 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Wyatt "The Kennetcook Kid" Sanford at Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Lazarev heads into the fight with quite a few disadvantages.

The only advantage the Russian-born resident of Ashdod, Israel possesses is pro experience. Lazarev's record stands at 9-4 with 3 KOs. He's boxed 56 professional rounds in nine different countries, including six dominant rounds against Polish prospect Dominik Harwankowski in 2022. Lazarev completely exposed the home fighter, but was robbed blind by the Polish judges. Igor has also faced prospects Angelo Peña and Greg McGuiness.

Lazarev is now 38 years old and hasn't fought in two years and four months. He'll have a slight height disadvantage, and his hands aren't as fast as Sanford's, which are blazing quick. Sanford, a highly-touted 26 year old prospect from Kennetcook, Nova Scotia, is a southpaw. He's 2-0 with two first round stoppages and is signed with the home promoter, Eye of the Tiger. The Canadian is also the naturally bigger man. He likes to lead in order to counter the opponent's counter. His hands are fast and fluid and he knows when to go to the body.

In Sanford's pro debut last month, he scored a knockdown with a right hook, but his straight left is also very dangerous. His second fight took place last Thursday, when he wiped out Tomas Lastra.

The overhand right is the premier punch for Lazarev, who is also a vicious body puncher. He'll need to set up his power shots because Sanford is too slick to get hit by lead rights. The two-time Olympian poses a tall task for the tough Israeli. With everything against him, if Igor gets out of the first round, consider it a win.

courtesy of Nir Roitman

Devin Strübin to Face Jasmin Ramic on Saturday

Devin "The Honey Badger" Strübin is scheduled to fight Jasmin "The Lion's Heart" Ramic on Saturday at Stadthofsaal in Uster, Switzerland. Ramic will pose a tougher test that his record suggests.

Strübin (7-1-1, 6 KOs) is a 30 year old from the nearby town of Urdorf. The southpaw super middleweight will apply smart pressure as he attempts to wear down Ramic. Strübin, who has spent some of his training camp in Israel, last fought in December, a fourth round TKO victory over veteran Zdenk Bule.

Ramic is from Biljeljina, Bosnia & Herzegovina. And before Mauricio Sulaiman and his ilk stir up any faux outrage: in the Balkans, Jasmin is typically a male name. As a boxer, Jasmin is only 1-3 and hasn't fought since 2022, but he has tons of experience as a kickboxer. Strübin also began as a kickboxer but made the switch ten years ago while Ramic has never left the sport.

Though there are key differences between boxing and kickboxing - some obvious and some less so - plenty of fighters have made the transition successfully. Chris Algieri and Tenshin Nasukawa are just a couple of examples.

A member of the Roma community and a farmer, Ramic throws hard clubbing punches. Since Strübin won't be hard to find, it should be an exciting fight for as long as it lasts. This bout is scheduled for six rounds.

Barwick Game in TCL Debut

Brooklyn "The Big Deal" Barwick was game in losing her Team Combat League debut by unanimous decision to Anna Verbeek at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, USA.

Barwick represented the Phoenix Fury, who faced the Miami Assassins tonight. Miami won the eight "launch" rounds by a score of 77-72 on the back of Victor Abreu, who stopped Joseph Rivas in the second to grab a 10-7 round. When Barwick stepped into the ring for round eleven, her Fury were trailing 97-90.

Barwick, who gave up at lest five inches of height, rushed forward, targeting Verbeek's body. Barwick was so anxious to let her punches go, she was warned twice by referee Luis Pabon for hitting after he had yelled for the action to stop.

Verbeek had some success catching Barwick on the way in and landed a sweet left hook towards the end of the round. Barwick absorbed the punches as if they were love taps, though. Her looping right to the body needed to be tightened up, but her foot movement was more fluid than in the past. There's no doubt that Brooklyn has a great chin, a ton of heart, and a mountain of grit. Her skills continue to improve as well.

Verbeek was awarded the round by unanimous decision, 10-9, which increased Miami's lead to 107-99. This was a great experience for Barwick, who cheered for her teammates from ringside after her round. This tussle against Verbeek should help Brooklyn's pro career, which has started with two straight knockout victories.

Miami beat Phoenix 230-222.