Cohen Promotions off to big 2014 start

New York-based promoter Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions has a very busy schedule set up for the start of 2014, with several high-profile events he is either promoting or co-promoting and featuring many of his premier fighters.

On Friday, January 10, Greg Cohen Promotions, DiBella Entertainment, Brian Halquist Productions, and GH3 Promotions will present "Battle at the Boat 94", in the I-5 Showroom of the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, and televised live, worldwide, by ESPN Friday Night Fights.

In the 10-round super featherweight main event, IBF #8-ranked Afghani-Canadian Arash Usmanee (20-1-1, 10 KOs) will face Mexican KO artist Juan Antonio "El Mozo" Rodriguez (25-4, 23 KOs). In the televised co-feature, Zahir "Z-Man" Raheem (34-3, 21 KOs) will continue his comeback against TBA. And in a special attraction, former top cruiserweight contender Lateef "Power" Kayode (19-0, 15 KOs) will make his second appearance as a heavyweight.

And then, on January 17, at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee, DiBella Entertainment, in association with GH3 Promotions, Greg Cohen Promotions and Prize Fight Boxing, will present an exciting quadrupleheader for the premiere of the 2014 ShoBox: The New Generation season with live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

In the 10-round main event, GCP's once-beaten Tony "Lightning" Luis (17-1, 7 KO's) will face Ukrainian lightweight Ivan "The Terrible" Redkach (15-0, 13 KO's). In the televised co-features, unbeaten junior middleweights John Thompson (14-0, 5 KO's) and Frank Galarza (11-0-2, 7 KO's) collide in an eight-round matchup and fast-rising and highly regarded up-and-coming prospect Antoine Douglas (11-0, 7 KO's) squares off against Marquis Davis (8-0-2, 5 KO's) in an eight-round middleweight showdown. Opening the telecast will be hard-hitting Maurice Hooker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) against an opponent TBA in an eight-round junior welterweight matchup. 

On January 31, in West Orange, New Jersey and live on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights, Greg Cohen Promotions, DiBella Entertainment, and GH3 Promotions will present "Super BrawlTM", featuring Elvir "The Kosovo Kid" Muriqi (40-5, 24 KOs) taking on former world light heavyweight champion Zsolt Erdei (33-1, 18 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight bout. On the same card, Jorge Diaz (17-2) will take on undefeated Luis Rosa (15-0) in a ten-round super bantamweight bout. On the undercard, undefeated lightweight prospect Mikey Faragon (18-0, 8 KOs) will make his much-anticipated return to the ring against an opponent TBA, after recovering from major foot surgery.

And finally, on February 1, Cohen's fighter, WBA #3 Jarrod Fletcher (17-1, 10 KO's), will face  WBA #1 Martin Murray (26-1-1, 11 KO's)  for the vacant WBA 160 lb. title as the co- feature of Golovkin's title defense against Osumanu Adama at the Salle des Etoiles, in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

"Our fighters have been blessed with big opportunities and we've been working very hard to bring them to fruition," said Cohen. "I'd like to thank ESPN, Showtime and all my co-promoters for helping make it all happen. I look forward to a big year for GCP and its fighters and we're off to a terrific start!"