On September 13, 2025, Terence Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez to become the undisputed super middleweight king. Since that victory, Crawford decided to retire and vacate all his titles at 168lbs.
With the titles now fragmented, the IBF invited Canelo to face its number one contender, Osleys Iglesias (14-0, 13 KOs), who has been in the number one spot since defeating Vladimir Shishkin on September 4 in their world title eliminator. Canelo has turned down the opportunity as has Jaime Munguia.
Jaime Munguia rejects IBF title shot against Osleys Iglesias
Canelo was the first to say no to fighting the unbeaten Cuban, which was no surprise given Canelo’s elbow surgery in October. Munguia was the next in line, but after his refusal, the question remains: who will face the middleweight bogeyman, Iglesias?
Iglesias’ promoter Camille Estephan reportedly accepted the fight within minutes, while Munguia’s representatives at Zanfer turned the fight down in the following hours. The IBF will now have to go further down the list, with the No. 5-rated Callum Simpson unavailable after his surprise loss to Troy Williamson. Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) has been ordered by the WBO to face Diego Pacheco for a world title. Number 7 in the IBF rankings is Pavel Silyagin (16-0-1, 7 KOs), who beat Pablo Exequiel last time out. Iglesias vs Silyagin looks the most likely option.
Introducing Osleys Iglesias
The big-punching Cuban is understandably one of the most avoided super middleweights. He’s an aggressive front-foot fighter and an accomplished finisher. In true Cuban style, he controls the distance well in his fights, and when he sees that chance to finish, he can finish with either hand.
Should he fight Silyagin, it will provide a great opportunity for the Cuban to capture a world title. Should he capture the IBF crown, possible unification bouts will be easier to make, and the middleweight bogeyman will be more difficult to ignore.
