{"id":924691,"date":"2026-10-08T01:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T01:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/924691\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T01:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T01:22:14","slug":"osleys-iglesias-deserves-your-attention-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/924691\/","title":{"rendered":"Osleys Iglesias Deserves Your Attention Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"

What to Know<\/p>\n

Boxing\u2019s biggest power-punching world champion, Osleys Iglesias, steps into the ring Thursday, October 8 in his home of Quebec City, Canada, for his first title defense against Denmark\u2019s Oliver Zaren.
\nThe entire fight card airs on DAZN Boxing in the U.S.<\/a> starting with prelim fights at 6:30 p.m. ET\/3:30 p.m. PT.
\nThe card also features highly regarded prospects Wilkens Mathieu and Iman Khataev.<\/p>\n

Osleys Iglesias is the least-known world champion in one of boxing\u2019s most competitive divisions. It\u2019s a shame to see boxing fans missing out on his exciting and entertaining style.<\/p>\n

Fans get a chance to catch up as Iglesias, a native of Cuba now based in Berlin, Germany (15-0, 14 KOs), defends his title against undefeated Oliver Zaren of Denmark (19-0-1, 8 KOs) in the main event of the Eye of the Tiger-promoted card<\/a> on Thursday, October 8 at the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Capitole in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The card airs on DAZN Boxing in the U.S.<\/a> starting with prelim fights at 6:30 p.m. ET\/3:30 p.m. PT. <\/p>\n

A Quebec record nine titles will be on the line across eight fights, including regional belts.<\/p>\n

Is Osleys Iglesias The World\u2019s Best Super Middleweight?<\/p>\n

Known as \u201cEl Tornado,\u201d Iglesias is out to prove not only that he is better than Zaren, but also that he is the best super-middleweight in the division.<\/p>\n

After Terence Crawford\u2019s retirement and Canelo Alvarez\u2019s relative inactivity, BoxRec has moved Iglesias to the top of its division rankings. Iglesias even outranks his more famous stablemate Christian Mbilli, who will face Alvarez in defense of the WBC title later this month.<\/p>\n

Last April, Iglesias captured the vacant IBF title by forcing Pavel Silyagin to retire after eight rounds, his first loss. Before that, Iglesias earned his world title shot by stopping another Russian contender, Vladimir Shishkin, in the eighth round.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

A number that might surprise boxing fans: Iglesias boasts the highest knockout percentage of any current undefeated full champion in any weight division at 93 percent. Check it yourself.<\/p>\n

Although Daniel Dubois has a 95.65 percent knockout rate, he\u2019s also got three losses. Iglesias is hot on his heels.<\/p>\n

Abdullah Mason and Rafael Espinoza come close at over 85 percent. If you love KOs, keep your eyes on El Tornado.<\/p>\n

A Nation Behind Oliver Zaren<\/p>\n

Zaren, known as \u201cThe Great Dane,\u201d will have an entire nation rooting him on as he follows in the footsteps of his mentor Mikkel Kessler, who is now Zaren\u2019s trainer. If Zaren defeats Iglesias, he will be the first Danish boxer in a decade to win a world title. But Zaren is taking a major step up in competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis fight is a dream come true for me, a dream I have cherished since childhood, and one that will ultimately come true with my victory. Osleys Iglesias is strong, tall, powerful, and I know he scares even the world\u2019s elite\u2026 but not me, because I know my level. On October 8, I will not come in Quebec City as a visitor. I will come as a conqueror,\u201d said Zaren.<\/p>\n

Zaren\u2019s last fight took place outdoors in Spain. It was declared a draw after a rainstorm stopped it. Now he faces another storm in El Tornado, and if Iglesias lives up to predictions, there will be only a referee between him and a weather problem.<\/p>\n

Wilkens Mathieu Hot On The Heels of Mbilli and Iglesias<\/p>\n

In the co-main event, another talented super middleweight fighting out of Quebec, Wilkens Mathieu (16-0, 11 KOs) will defend his NABF regional title against a fighter he calls his toughest test, Vladimir Shishkin of Russia (17-2, 11 KOs).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Last June, Wilkens became the first to stop Olympic medalist Esquiva Falcao.<\/a> \u201cAfter beating Vladimir Shishkin, William Scull and Osleys Iglesias both went on to fight for world titles. So I sincerely hope the same thing happens for me, because I already feel ready to beat anyone in the world at 168 pounds,\u201d said Mathieu.<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old Quebec native is already the youngest top-ranked super middleweight: seventh by the WBC, 14th by the IBF, and in the top 15 by the WBA and WBO. If Mathieu can take care of Shishkin, especially if he can stop him, he will take a big step up in those rankings.<\/p>\n

Le\u00efla Beaudoin Next in Line?
\n\"LeilaLeila Beaudoin is chasing down the full WBA World Super Featherweight title. Photo: Jeff Lockhart, Eye of the Tiger<\/p>\n

WBA Interim Super Featherweight title holder Le\u00efla Beaudoin (15-2, 2 KOs) of Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec will return to Quebec City for her first title defense against the number two ranked contender and Latin American champion, Brisa Alfonzo of Argentina (9-1-2, 1 KO).<\/p>\n

Beaudoin won her title by dominating Colombia\u2019s Paulina Angel last June, becoming the third Qu\u00e9bec woman to win a world title.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinning a world title is one thing and defending it is another, but once again, I\u2019ll have the crowd behind me, and I don\u2019t intend to disappoint my fans on October 8,\u201d said Beaudoin.<\/p>\n

Like Bernard Hopkins, Alfonzo lost her pro debut. But she\u2019s won or gotten a draw in every fight since then.<\/p>\n

The stakes are high for the winner, who could be elevated to full champion status. Beaudoin\u2019s former rival Alycia Baumgardner will fight for the world title at lightweight next month. If Baumgardner wins and decides to remain at lightweight, the interim super-featherweight champion will automatically be elevated.<\/p>\n

This has actually happened before at EOTTM, when Mary Spencer and Christian Mbilli captured the full titles after Terri Harper and Terence Crawford vacated their titles before facing them.<\/p>\n

Undercard Highlights From Quebec City<\/p>\n

In the first fight between two EOTTM fighters in more than five years, Olympic medalist Imam Khataev (12-1, 11 KOs) will defend his NABF light heavyweight title against Montreal\u2019s NABF champion, Luis Santana (16-0, 7 KOs), in a bout between undefeated fighters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re talking about a \u2018Tiger vs. Tiger\u2019 fight, but in the jungle, only one can be king. And the crown isn\u2019t given, it\u2019s taken,\u201d said Santana.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur motto is simple: we refuse no one. I have a lot of respect for Luis Santana and his team. He is a man and a boxer I appreciate, but this time, our paths cross. One zero will have to disappear from someone\u2019s record, and I intend to make sure it isn\u2019t Dzmitry\u2019s,\u201d said the trainer of the Belarusian-born fighter, Samuel D\u00e9carie-Drolet.<\/p>\n

All fighters made weight on Wednesday. However, a medical issue has forced WBC Featherweight Continental titleholder Thomas Chabot of Thetford Mines, Quebec, to withdraw from his scheduled bout against veteran Jose Antonio Sanchez\u00a0of Spain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe numbers speak for themselves: nine titles on the line at a single card in Quebec is simply unprecedented,\u201d said Eye of the Tiger President Camille Estephan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is all the more exciting for us to present an event of this magnitude at the Capitole, one of the most beautiful venues in North America, where every seat gives our fans the opportunity to be at the heart of the action.\u201d <\/p>\n

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