Osleys Iglesias fulfills the promise he made to his mother in Cuba five years ago when he left in search of glory, and today he achieved it by being crowned IBF super middleweight world champion after a dominant stoppage victory over Pavel Silyagin in Montreal.
The unbeaten Cuban (15-0, 14 KOs) secured an eighth round TKO over Pavel Silyagin (16-1-1, 7 KOs) to capture the vacant IBF super middleweight title on Thursday night at the Cabaret du Casino in Montreal, Canada, live on DAZN. The belt had been left vacant following Terence Crawford’s retirement after his win over Canelo Álvarez, opening the door for a new champion in the division.
Iglesias took control of the fight from the opening bell, applying steady pressure, working behind his jab, and gradually breaking down Silyagin. The Russian contender attempted to stay competitive early, but as the rounds progressed, he was forced into survival mode as Iglesias’ physicality and work rate began to take over. Although the Cuban occasionally appeared slightly out of range in the early rounds, his dominance in strength and pace became increasingly evident.
By the middle and late rounds, the accumulation of punishment was clearly visible on Silyagin’s face, as his resistance began to fade. After eight one-sided rounds, Silyagin’s corner decided to stop the fight at the end of the eighth round due to the accumulation of punishment, with visible swelling around one eye and a badly damaged nose that was bleeding heavily, handing Iglesias a clear and emphatic TKO victory.
With this win, Iglesias solidifies himself as one of the most dangerous rising forces in the super middleweight division, improving to 15-0 (14 KOs) while adding the IBF and IBO world titles to his résumé.
Iglesias vs. Silyagin Fight Card Results
Arthur Biyarslanov (21-0, 17 KOs) stopped Mexico’s Jimerr Espinosa (17-3-1, 16 KOs) in the seventh round to retain his NABF super lightweight title. Espinosa hit the canvas in the third round, but later rallied and managed to land heavy shots that briefly rocked Biyarslanov, making for a competitive stretch before the stoppage.
Luis Santana (16-0, 7 KOs) defeated Chann Thonson (18-2, 15 KOs) via split decision in an all-Canadian showdown to capture the vacant NABF lightweight title. The judges scored the bout 95-94, 96-93, and 95-94 in Santana’s favor.
Leila Beaudoin (14-2, 2 KOs) of Canada earned a dominant unanimous decision victory over Argentina’s Victoria Noelia Bustos (26-10-1) in a 10-round super featherweight contest. All three judges scored it a shutout 100-90.
Canada’s Alexandre Gaumont (14-1, 9 KOs) also picked up a unanimous decision win over Croatia’s Luka Lozo (16-3-2, 15 KOs) in their middleweight bout. After 10 rounds, the scorecards read 96-93, 97-92, and 95-94.
Opening the card, Armenia’s Erik Israyelyan (5-0, 3 KOs) remained unbeaten with a fourth-round TKO victory over Chile’s Franco Filgueira (5-6) in a super featherweight matchup.
