14-0 Cuban star could be set to face the winner of Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford

The super middleweight division is bracing for one of its biggest nights when Canelo Alvarez defends his undisputed crown against Terence Crawford on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. The fight, streamed globally on Netflix, has been billed as a generational clash between two of boxing's biggest superstars of the modern era.

Beyond the spectacle, the outcome carries serious implications for the future of the IBF (International Boxing Federation) belt that sits within Alvarez’s four-title collection. Reports suggest that unbeaten Cuban southpaw Osleys Iglesias could be the next in line, having earned his mandatory challenger status by stopping Vladimir Shishkin in an eliminator this past week in Montreal.

The victory confirmed that whoever gets his hand raised this weekend will be ordered to face Iglesias. The IBF has a track record of enforcing mandatory defenses. That being said, the politics of boxing suggest a different outcome.

Champions at the level of Alvarez or Crawford rarely commit to facing little-known but high-risk challengers.

Iglesias now stands at 14-0 with 13 knockouts and carries an impressive amateur background that includes a win over David Morrell before turning professional in 2019.

His performance against Shishkin was measured and mature, landing clean right hooks and straight lefts that wore down his opponent over the course of the fight. By the eighth round, Shishkin was pinned to the ropes, unable to fire back, leaving the referee no choice but to wave it off.

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Osleys Iglesias stakes claim for Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford winner

The boxing world is set for a defining super middleweight clash between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, Osleys Iglesias secured the IBF’s top contender spot by stopping Vladimir Shishkin in eight rounds in Montreal. Iglesias believes the next super middleweight champion could be avoiding him.

He insists the winner of Alvarez and Crawford might be scared to fight him because of his youth, strength, and power. Speaking in an interview with Boxing Scene, he said:

“I think I made a statement. If he [Alvarez] doesn’t want to fight with me, it’s not because I don’t give a good show. It’s because he’s scared. I’m a young boxer, I’m hungry, I have a good punch... If he doesn’t want to fight with me, it’s because he might be scared that I’m too young and too strong for him.”