- Osleys Iglesias retained his IBF super middleweight title with a seventh-round TKO of Oliver Zaren at the Theatre Capitole in Quebec City on Thursday, October 8
- Iglesias, now 16-0 with 15 knockouts, dropped Zaren twice in round six and Zaren's corner stopped it in round seven; Zaren falls to 19-1-1
- Iglesias wants a unification and is circling the winner of Canelo vs Mbilli in Riyadh on October 31, and I think he is the man to beat at 168
How Iglesias Stopped Zaren
Right then. Osleys Iglesias has retained his IBF super middleweight title with a seventh-round TKO of Oliver Zaren at the Theatre Capitole in Quebec City, and Iglesias stopping Zaren was every bit as clinical as I told you it would be in my preview.
The jab did the early work. Iglesias controlled the distance from the opening bell, never let the Dane settle into a rhythm, and opened a cut over Zaren's left eye that the jab kept finding. Then came round six: two knockdowns, with a third that was ruled a slip. Zaren survived to the bell, but he was unsteady when he came out for the seventh, and his corner called it off. Brave from the Dane, and the right call from the corner.
What It Means For Iglesias
Make no mistake, this was a proper champion's performance. Iglesias is now 16-0 with 15 knockouts, and the finishing rate keeps climbing. Zaren came in unbeaten and fell to 19-1-1, and he never looked like he had the power to make Iglesias think twice. That is the levels gap I flagged before the first bell.
Afterwards Iglesias said he hopes the winner of the next big 168-pound fight faces him, and that he wants his next night to be a unification. That fits with where the division is heading: Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli meet in Riyadh on October 31, which I covered in the security alert story.
The Names In The Mix
Iglesias also has plenty of other options at 168: Jaime Munguia, Hamzah Sheeraz and Lester Martinez all hold belts or a claim to one. Every single one of those is a fight worth making.
The Prediction
Let's not beat around the bush: Iglesias beats Mbilli or Canelo, and he does it inside the distance. Mbilli is the more dangerous puncher for the Cuban, but Iglesias has the jab, the southpaw angles and a finishing instinct that few at 168 can match. I want the unification, and I want it in the first half of 2027. If you know, you know: this is the best super middleweight in the world right now.