Osleys Iglesias breaks Pavel Silyagin, wins IBF title by stoppage

Iglesias (15-0, 14 KOs) did not rush the finish. He pressed. He kept Silyagin on the move. By the middle rounds, the Russian’s face began to tell the story. An uppercut in round five broke Silyagin’s nose. The swelling around his left eye worsened as the rounds passed.

Silyagin (16-1-1, 7 KOs) tried to survive on movement. He circled, mostly to his right, and looked to steal moments with clean shots. The problem stayed the same. He could not hurt Iglesias or slow him down. Each exchange carried a cost.

Round eight ended it in practice. A left hand from Iglesias shook Silyagin again. When he reached the corner, the decision was made. He did not come out for the ninth.

 “We have the WBC with Christian Mbilli and the IBF with Osleys Iglesias. We’re missing the other two Belts, and we’re going to go after them. Not on the same night, but if they want on consecutive weekends,” said promoter Camile Estephan. “And if Mbilli and Osleys get all the Belts, they could unify one against the other. Not before.”

The belt had been vacated by Terence Crawford, leaving a clean opening at 168. Iglesias took it without debate on the scorecards.

There were moments where his attack looked one-paced. Silyagin’s movement made him reset and think more than expected. Inside work came and went. Still, the direction of the fight never changed.

Iglesias leaves with a title and a clear identity. He breaks fighters down. He keeps coming. At this level, that has been enough.