Osleys Iglesias vs Pavel Silyagin Official For IBF Title

Vacant IBF belt pits unbeaten Osleys Iglesias against Pavel Silyagin April 9 in Montréal

The IBF super middleweight title fight between Osleys Iglesias and Pavel Silyagin is now official, pushing two unbeaten contenders into a bout that immediately reshapes the order at 168 pounds. With the belt vacant, sanctioning movement has created a direct path to championship status without interim detours.

This is a legitimate title fight, not a belt looking for an owner.

Iglesias, 14-0 (13 KOs), forced his way into position by stopping Vladimir Shishkin in eight rounds, breaking him down with steady pressure and heavy body work before closing the show. The Cuban southpaw fights behind a firm jab, resets his feet before punching, and commits once he has an opponent backing toward the ropes.

“Make no mistake about the challenge ahead of us: Pavel Silyagin is a world-class boxer,” Eye of the Tiger President Camille Estephan said. “For us, it was unthinkable not to bring this fight home to Montréal, where we are confident Osleys will prove us right on April 9.”

Titles often change direction quickly once they lose an owner. The IBF cleared the belt after Saul Alvarez fell to Terence Crawford and Crawford retired.

Silyagin, 16-0-1 (7 KOs), brings a balanced stance and places his punches with precision. He keeps a high guard, fires straight shots, and holds a steady punch output into the late rounds.

“When I found out about the official announcement of the IBF title fight with Iglesias, I saw my real chance to leave a mark in history of boxing,” Silyagin said. “Osleys has got a strong punch and throws punches from different angles regularly. It’s going to be a long and tough fight, before it, we’ll definitely go with the team into the mountains to build up stamina.”

“It will be a great battle. I know I’m facing a very experienced opponent,” Iglesias said. “But I believe this opportunity has come to me for a reason. With God by my side, I will be ready to take what belongs to me.”

Super middleweight belts usually demand a hard night’s work. This fight leans on Silyagin’s range control and foot positioning, whether he can stay long and deny Iglesias the chance to set his feet. Iglesias will aim to close the exits, work the body, and drag him into exchanges that might empty the gas tank.

Early pressure from Iglesias turns it into a physical fight fought at close quarters. If Silyagin manages range and counters through the gaps, the scorecards come into play. Twelve demanding rounds decide which unbeaten record stays clean.

Event Info

Date: April 9
Start time: 7 p.m. local ET / 12 a.m. UK
Streaming platform: DAZN (worldwide), Punching Grace (Quebec), TVA Sports (preliminary bouts)
Venue: Casino de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
Fight card:
• Osleys Iglesias vs. Pavel Silyagin, vacant IBF super middleweight title

How to watch: Available globally on DAZN; regional coverage on Punching Grace with prelims on TVA Sports.