Well, it won’t be Canelo or Jaime Munguia. Osleys Iglesias is still searching for his next opponent, but one problem remains: no one wants to fight him.
Since his victory over Vladimir Shishkin in September, Osleys Iglesias has officially been ranked #1 by the IBF. The issue when a big name like Canelo Alvarez holds all the belts is that he gets to choose his opponents, sometimes too cautiously. That leaves little room for lesser-known, but no less talented, fighters like Iglesias.
However, since the redhead lost his titles to Terence Crawford and Crawford has since retired, that problem no longer exists. At least for now, because the belts are vacant.
Photo: Osleys Iglesias vs Vladimir Shishkin
At the Top of the Division
Osleys Iglesias therefore finds himself with a fortunate problem: given his #1 ranking, the IBF belt must inevitably go through him. However, as mentioned earlier, his name is not yet big enough in the media to be considered a superstar. As a result, the rest of the 168-pound division is too hesitant to take the risk. Iglesias is a true tornado—he destroys everything in his path—but he doesn’t come with a multi-million-dollar payday like a Saul Alvarez.
The IBF initially ordered a fight between Canelo and Iglesias.
Canelo was reportedly unable to take the fight due to elbow surgery. There is no doubt that he did indeed have the surgery—I’ll concede that—but it is still curious that this is the first time we’re hearing about it in this context. It is quite possible that Canelo wasn’t all that eager to face Osleys.
Once again, these are only speculations. Canelo has built a name and reputation that must be taken seriously. So if he says he can’t take the fight, it can’t really be questioned…
Photo: KSL.com – Canelo Alvarez vs Terrence Crawford
The IBF therefore reached out to Jaime Munguia, another well-known name among boxing fans.
And according to Iglesias’ promoter, Camille Estephan, the response came fairly quickly. He has other plans. The one thing you can’t fault him for in this case is that he didn’t keep anyone waiting and was very clear. He clearly has no interest in facing the adversity that Osleys Iglesias represents.
When we say it’s a fortunate problem, this is exactly what we mean. You know the IBF will have no choice but to offer you a title fight, yet no one is stepping up.
For a sport that’s supposed to be for the tough guys, the super-middleweight athletes don’t seem to be proving that they are. Fighters ranked by the sanctioning bodies are supposed to have only one goal in mind: to prove they are the best. What we’re seeing in this situation, admittedly a very unique one, is almost as if the other fighters are handing the crown to Iglesias without even having faced him.
So who will dare?
Photo: Dewsbury Reporter – Troy williamson vs Callum Simpson
Other Options
If we look at the current IBF rankings, after the names of Saul Alvarez and Jaime Munguia comes Hamzah Sheeraz.
You don’t have to be a genius to guess that Sheeraz will likely head toward the WBC and face Christian Mbilli. It’s a storyline that has been developing for several weeks now. If Iglesias were to end up facing Sheeraz, it would be quite a conclusion—but the chances of it happening are fairly low.
Next up is Troy Williamson, ranked sixth. The English fighter who recently shocked Callum Simpson by defeating him via 10th-round TKO.
Williamson has a few losses on his record. His 22–4–1 record isn’t flashy, but he’s never been stopped and he’s coming off a big win. He couldn’t hope for anything better than a shot at a world title. If we had to place a bet on El Tornado’s next opponent, it wouldn’t be crazy to throw a small $2 on Troy Williamson.
Photo: NotiFight – Pavel Silyagin vs Keiber Gonzalez
Otherwise, ranked seventh in the IBF standings is Pavel Silyagin. An undefeated Russian fighter with a respectable résumé in both amateur and professional boxing. And according to our good friend Laurent Poulin, Silyagin has already volunteered, should the opportunity present itself.
If we dig a little deeper, the names once again don’t make much sense. We know he’s friends with William Scull. Kevin Lele Sadjo just lost to Diego Pacheco. And Pacheco—there are still big question marks surrounding his future. He just beat Sadjo, but it was far from easy. He may end up going back to the drawing board. Iglesias is not the kind of guy you want to face while trying to fine-tune your skill set.
In any case, one thing is certain: Osleys Iglesias will fight for the IBF world title. The question now is: who will he face?
