Cuban fighter Osleys Iglesias, known as “El Tornado,” is one of the most avoided and feared professional boxers on the international scene. His explosive power, highlight-reel knockouts, and the still not widely recognized value of his name make the idea of facing him rather unappealing, given the unfavorable risk-reward ratio. Now, however, Iglesias is finally about to get his first world title opportunity: on Thursday, in Montreal, he will fight for the IBF super middleweight belt against Russia’s Pavel Silyagin.
“El Tornado” has built an undefeated record so far, with 14 wins in as many fights, including 13 victories inside the distance. His most notable achievement came in September of last year, when Iglesias dismantled Russian fighter Vladimir Shishkin in eight rounds—a seasoned boxer with solid fundamentals who was completely overwhelmed by the Cuban.
When Terence Crawford decided to retire, vacating all his world titles, the IBF began searching for a contender willing to face Iglesias. The refusals of Mexican fighters “Canelo” Álvarez and Jaime Munguía caused quite a stir. The former stated he needed more time to recover from elbow surgery, while the latter preferred to pursue different paths.
After moving from one отказ to another, the IBF eventually reached Pavel Silyagin, currently ranked seventh, finally receiving a positive response. Silyagin holds a professional record of 16 wins and 1 draw, with 7 knockouts and no losses.
Thursday’s event will take place at the Montreal Casino and will be promoted by Eye of the Tiger, led by Camille Estephan, who manages Iglesias’ career. After spending his early professional years fighting in Germany and Poland, the Cuban has settled in Canada and, step by step, has climbed to the top of the world rankings.
The prediction ahead of this upcoming title fight clearly favors the Cuban. After all, the draw on Silyagin’s record came in 2023 against fellow Russian Evgeny Shvedenko, whom Iglesias knocked out in the first round a year later. While boxing does not follow the transitive property, this detail suggests we may be looking at a potential mismatch.
We will therefore see how “El Tornado” handles the pressure of his first world title fight and soon find out whether the top names in the 168-pound division will be willing to face him in the near future.