This Thursday, at Théâtre Capitole in Quebec City, IBF and IBO super-middleweight world champion Osleys Iglesias (15-0, 14 KOs) will attempt to defend his titles while handing Danish contender Oliver Zaren (19-0-1, 8 KOs) the first loss of his 20-fight career.
The action will get underway at 6:30 p.m. on October 8, with a Quebec record nine titles on the line across eight fights, all broadcast live on Punchinggrace.com.
The Pressure on Iglesias
Known as “El Tornado,” Osleys Iglesias will have all eyes – and the pressure that comes with them – on him Thursday, as he looks to prove not only that he is better than Zaren, but also that he is the best super-middleweight (168 lbs) in the world.
With Terence Crawford’s retirement and Canelo Alvarez’s inactivity, specialized website BoxRec has moved Iglesias to the top of its division rankings. And being No. 1 among nearly 1,700 boxers comes with additional pressure.
On that note, with a knockout percentage of over 93%, Iglesias is not only the most powerful world champion in his division – statistically speaking – he is the most powerful across all weight classes.
Photo: EOTTM – Osleys Iglesias
He would therefore need a knockout to live up to his record-setting standards, and against a fighter who is undefeated in 20 fights, that is far from a given.
A Nation Behind Zaren
Oliver Zaren will step into the ring as the underdog in Quebec City, but he will have an entire nation believing in him from across the Atlantic, in Denmark.
Known as “The Great Dane,” he has made no secret – in an interview with The Ring Magazine – of his ambition to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Mikkel “The Viking Warrior” Kessler, and become the first Dane in more than a decade to capture a world title.
Adding a little mystery to the equation, Laurent Poulin of Boxingtown Québec noted that it will be intriguing to see how Zaren reacts to the enormous jump in competition he will face on October 8. He has always been dominant, but never against an opponent of Iglesias’ caliber.
At least Zaren won’t have to worry about Quebec weather.
And that’s already something, considering that his last fight, held outdoors in Spain, was declared a “draw” after being stopped due to rain.
Photo: Champion.info – Oliver Zaren
But against “El Tornado,” the Scandinavian warrior will still have a major weather-related problem to deal with if he hopes to bring the title back to Denmark…
Wilkens Mathieu, in a Class of His Own
In the co-main event, Wilkens Mathieu (16-0, 11 KOs) will attempt to defend his NABF title against the fighter he has called his “toughest test of his career,” Russian contender Vladimir Shishkin (17-2, 11 KOs).
Far from the Montreal “potholes” he has said he hates so much – in the Journal de Montréal – Quebec City’s pride will have the comfort of fighting in his hometown as he continues his meteoric rise through the division.
And the term “meteoric” is no exaggeration for the 21-year-old Quebecer, who is already ranked No. 7 in the world by the WBC. If you take the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF top 15 rankings and look at each of the names occupying the combined 60 spots across the four major sanctioning bodies, you won’t find a single boxer younger than Quebec City’s pride.
And if he passes a test like Vladimir Shishkin, we can already expect the Quebec prodigy to break into the world’s top five.
Photo: Jeff Lockhart – Wilkens Mathieu
Leïla Beaudoin, Next in Line?
Also on the card, Leïla Beaudoin (15-2, 2 KOs) will return to Quebec City after triumphing there last June, when she captured the WBA interim super-featherweight world title.
For her first title defense, the Bas-Saint-Laurent native will face the No. 2-ranked contender in the world and Latin American champion, Brisa Alfonzo (9-1-2, 1 KO).
An interesting fact about Alfonzo: she is riding an 11-fight unbeaten streak. Like Bernard Hopkins, she has now reached a world title opportunity after losing her professional debut.
But the stakes of the fight could go beyond the interim world title, as the winner of the Beaudoin-Alfonzo showdown could be awarded the full title in the following weeks.
As the pride of Témiscouata told the Journal de Québec, her former rival and “regular” champion Alycia Baumgardner will fight for the world title in the next weight class up (135 lbs) next month. If she wins and decides to remain at lightweight, the interim super-featherweight champion (130 lbs) will therefore automatically be elevated.
Photo: Jeff Lockhart – Leïla Beaudoin
This has actually happened before at EOTTM, when Mary Spencer and Christian Mbilli captured the full titles after Terri Harper and Terence Crawford vacated their titles before facing them.
Will Leïla Beaudoin be next? It will first take a victory on October 8…
Also on the Card
Olympic medalist Imam Khataev (12-1, 11 KOs) will defend his NABF light heavyweight title against former IBO world champion Padraig McCrory (20-2, 10 KOs).
IBF and WBC continental lightweight champion Dzmitry Asanau (13-0, 7 KOs) will face NABF champion Luis Santana (16-0, 7 KOs) in EOTTM’s first 100% in-house matchup in more than five years!
Thomas Chabot (13-1, 8 KOs) will make his first defense of his continental title against Spanish veteran Jose Antonio Sanchez (18-3-1, 6 KOs).
Finally, Quebec prospects Daylen Pepin (2-1) and Jacob Blais (0-1), who will face Yoan Trottier (0-2), will also be in action starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening.
And before this historic gala, head over to Mise-o-jeu+ to make history yourself alongside your favorite champions.
Photo: IG – Jacob Blais
