The super-middleweight division is set to crown its new king, and the man to truly succeed Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford may be one with 14 professional bouts to his name.
In September last year, Crawford trumped Canelo to become undisputed super-middleweight champion but retired three months later and left the 168lb world titles fragmented.
Christian Mbilli was upgraded to WBC champion and is being linked to a clash with Canelo, whilst Jose Armando Resendiz was named WBA world champion and he defends his title against Jaime Munguia in May.
Meanwhile, the IBF and WBO opted for vacant title fights following Crawford’s retirement, with Hamzah Sheeraz and Alem Begic set to compete for the latter next month, whilst Osleys Iglesias and Pavel Silyagin collide for the IBF strap on Thursday in Montreal.
Iglesias, who has won by stoppage in 13 of his 14 bouts, is on an impressive 8-fight knockout streak and is deemed by many to be the bogeyman of the division. Now, the Cuban southpaw – ranked number one with the sanctioning body – has a chance to announce himself to the world and he vows to ‘take what belongs to him’.
“I know I’m facing a very experienced opponent, and I thank him for accepting the challenge. But I believe this opportunity has come to me for a reason.
“I will be ready to take what belongs to me. May the best man win — and as always, that will be me.”
In Silyagin – ranked number 7 – Iglesias is tasked with a more experienced operator, with a recent win over previously unbeaten Pablo Exequiel Corzo proving that he is capable of pulling off the upset here.
However, Camile Estephan, President of Eye of the Tiger Promotions, said that Igleisas’ talent will shine through, believing that the 28-year-old has the potential to be a pound-for-pound star.
“Make no mistake about the challenge ahead of us: Pavel Silyagin is a world-class boxer.
“However, we believe Osleys Iglesias has generational talent, with the potential to be not only among the elite at super-middleweight, but among the global elite — pound-for-pound.”
Estephan has previously spoke of his willingness to stage a unification clash between Iglesias and Mbilli, whom he also promotes, but neither he nor Iglesias will be looking too far into the future, with his scrap with Silyagin certainly no foregone conclusion.
Iglesias-Silyagin take places on Thursday, as the 168lb division move a step closer to getting back on track after Crawford hung up the gloves.
