Osleys Iglesias dominates Pavel Silyagin and secures the IBF super middleweight world title – with a clear statement.
Osleys Iglesias has impressively boxed his way to the top of the super middleweight division. In Montreal, the Cuban clearly dominated his opponent Pavel Silyagin and secured the vacant IBF title by stoppage after eight rounds.
Iglesias made a clear statement right from the start. In the very first round, he scored with a hard uppercut that visibly hurt Silyagin early on. The Russian’s right eye quickly swelled up and from then on he was forced to work hard to avoid the attacks. As the match progressed, Iglesias controlled the action almost continuously. While Silyagin tried to slow down the pressure with movement and clinching, the Cuban remained the much more active and precise man. He repeatedly brought his power hands to the finish and collected round after round.
The decision was finally made in the eighth round. Iglesias stepped up the pace again, put Silyagin under massive pressure and left clear marks. Drawn and exhausted, the Russian returned to his corner – the fight was ended shortly afterwards. With this victory, Iglesias remains unbeaten and celebrates his ninth premature success in a row. At the same time, he underlines his ambition to make a significant mark on the weight class in the future.
The success is also important for the promoter Eye of the Tiger Promotions: in addition to Iglesias, the team has another super middleweight world champion under contract, Christian Mbilli.
Text by Robin Josten