Osleys Iglesias lived up to the fearsome reputation building around his name by stopping Pavel Silyagin to capture the vacant IBF super middleweight title in Montreal.
The Cuban puncher forced Silyagin’s corner to pull their fighter out after eight rounds at Casino Montreal on Thursday night, improving his unbeaten record and adding world championship status to a run that has quickly turned him into one of the most avoided men at 168 pounds.
Promoters Eye of the Tiger wasted little time underlining that growing reputation.
Moments after the victory, the Montreal-based outfit declared on social media that “The Boogeyman has arrived” in the super middleweight division.
The message reflected the mood surrounding Iglesias’ latest performance. Against an unbeaten opponent who entered the bout with a 16-0-1 record, the Cuban gradually took control before Silyagin’s team elected to halt the contest at the end of round eight — a result that pushes Iglesias straight into the conversation with the most dangerous fighters at 168 pounds.
Osleys Iglesias becomes IBF champion
The victory secured the IBF world title and also saw Iglesias step firmly onto the world stage and into the center of a division that now features several new champions.
Christian Mbilli currently holds the WBC crown, Iglesias now controls the IBF title, and Jose Armando Resendiz sits as WBA champion.
The WBO championship remains vacant for now, although that situation will change on May 23 when Hamzah Sheeraz and Alem Begic meet for the belt on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven undercard.
With the belts now spread across several fighters and a fresh champion emerging in Montreal, the super middleweight division suddenly has another dangerous name that contenders may struggle to ignore.
But having seen all three champions crowned, Iglesias may be the best of them all.
Undercard results – Montreal
Osleys Iglesias W-RTD 8 Pavel Silyagin – IBF World Super Middleweight Title / IBO World Super Middleweight Title
Arthur Biyarslanov W-TKO 7 Jimerr Espinosa – NABF Super Lightweight Title
Luis Santana W-SD 10 Chann Thonson – NABF Lightweight Title
Santana was knocked down in round four before edging a split decision.
Leila Beaudoin W-UD 10 Victoria Noelia Bustos
Alexandre Gaumont W-UD 10 Luka Lozo
Gaumont was knocked down in round ten.
Erik Israyelyan W-RTD 4 Franco Filgueira
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.