IBF Orders Osleys Iglesias vs Canelo for Vacant Super Middleweight Title

The IBF has ordered #1 Osleys Iglesias and #3 Canelo Alvarez to fight for their vacant super middleweight title. This is one of the titles that Terence Crawford recently vacated when he retired.

Canelo on Paper Only

Canelo’s recent elbow surgery makes it unlikely that he’s going to be able to take the fight against the Cuba-born Iglesias. That’s a match-up that would still have slim chances of being agreed to by Alvarez even if he were 100% healthy.

The unbeaten southpaw Iglesias is tall, powerful, and throws a lot of punches. At 27, he’s young, and would be a nightmare for the 5’8″ Canelo to fight at the late stage of his career. Not just him, though.

So, with Canelo likely to decline the fight with Iglesias for the vacant IBF belt, the sanctioning body will move down the rankings and offer #4 Jaime Munguia or #5 Callum Simpson the opportunity. Munguia already has options for other fights against better-known contenders in the 168-lb division. It’s unlikely that he’ll agree to a fight against Osleys.

Callum Simpson was knocked out in the tenth round by Troy Williamson on December 20, 2025. It’s possible the IBF will choose not to ask Simpson because he took a lot of punishment in his loss.

Hamzah Sheeraz is #6 in the IBF’s rankings, but he’s got other options to fight for the vacant WBC or WBO belts. His chances of winning one of those belts are arguably greater than if he were to fight the former Cuban amateur talent Iglesias. That’s a bad match-up on paper for Sheeraz.

Why Silyagin Makes the Most Sense

#7 in the IBF rankings is Pavel Silyagin. He’s unbeaten still, but he hasn’t faced any notable opposition during his five-year career. The chances are that if he’s asked, he’ll accept the fight. The 32-year-old Silyagin isn’t a power puncher, and he struggled to beat little-known Pablo Exequiel Corzo in his last fight on July 5, 2025.

Without much pop in his punches, Silyagin is going to be up against it, facing Osleys Iglesias for the IBF title if he’s offered the opportunity by the IBF. My prediction is that it’ll be Silyagin that ultimately faces Iglesias, because it makes the most sense for him to take the fight.

Crawford Saw This Coming

Had Crawford not vacated his IBF title, he would have soon been ordered to defend against the 6’2″ Osleys. That would be a very difficult match-up for Crawford because he couldn’t count on his long reach to dominate with his jab as he did against Canelo.

Iglesias has the same reach but a more powerful jab. If Crawford didn’t vacate, he’d have had a problem going up against Iglesias. He’s a textbook example of a boogeyman, the guy that is avoided for good reason.