Osleys Iglesias finally gets a title fight, even if the circumstances say as much about the super middleweight division as it does about his rise. The undefeated Cuban southpaw will face Pavel Silyagin for the vacant IBF super middleweight title, a fight that puts Iglesias one win away from a belt without guaranteeing what comes next.
RCC Promotions confirmed on Tuesday that the bout has been finalized without a purse and will take place on April 9 in Canada. The IBF belt became available after Terence Crawford retired from the sport following his recent retirement, leaving behind the titles he had unified at super middleweight.
Why Pavel Silyagin ended up as the opponent
Silyagin, a 32-year-old former amateur standout, enters the fight undefeated at 16-0-1 with seven knockouts. He didn’t come here because fans asked for the game. He got here because the IBF worked through its list and had no alternatives. Reports indicate that the sanctioning body first explored pairing Iglesias with Canelo Alvarez, Jaime Munguia and Hamzah Sheeraz for the vacant belt, with all three declining. Silyagin accepted the fight after three better known names turned it down.
That’s what this fight really is. Silyagin is not the money option. He accepted the fight once other options were exhausted. Winning a world title will put a belt around his waist, but it won’t suddenly change how the division treats him.
Across the ring is Iglesias, the 28-year-old Cuban southpaw known as “El Tornado.” He has spent years building a reputation that follows him, when opportunities do not. Iglesias is awkward, sharp and has real one-shot power. Insiders have long considered him a problem matchup, which helps explain why his name keeps coming up in conversations but rarely on contracts.
A familiar place at Super Middleweight
This has happened before at super middleweight. Fighters like David Benavidez and David Morrell once found themselves in similar spots, dangerous enough to avoid and easy to stop when bigger business was available elsewhere. Even Morrell holding a belt didn’t immediately change his situation.
At 168, winning a title doesn’t promise much beyond the title itself. This fight will not turn Iglesias or Silyagin into stars overnight. It simply puts the winner in the room and lets everyone see if anything comes of it.
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Last updated on 02/10/2026
