Who Will Fight Osleys Iglesias for the Vacant IBF Title?

The IBF super middleweight title is vacant and Osleys Iglesias is the clear mandatory, but finding someone to fight him has become the sanctioning body’s problem. The belt opened when Terence Crawford retired, and while the IBF moved to stage a championship bout, the process has hit a wall of refusals.

Canelo Alvarez said no first, citing elbow surgery rehab. Jaime Munguia followed by declining the shot. Neither violated IBF protocol, but both turned down a title opportunity and left Iglesias without an opponent. The sanctioning body is now expected to reach out to Pavel Silyagin, ranked seventh and the next available contender who has not already passed or demanded too much money.

Ducked Despite Earning His Shot

Iglesias secured mandatory status in September 2025 by halting Vladimir Shishkin in eight rounds during an eliminator. The stoppage was clean and left no room for debate about his ranking. Since then, no one above him has stepped up to take the fight.

The IBF’s challenge is not finding who deserves the belt. It is locating a fighter willing to trade punches with Iglesias. The Cuban southpaw has been avoided across the 168-pound weight class for months, and the recent cold shoulders from Canelo and Munguia confirm what boxing people already understood. His power keeps opponents away. Iglesias throws heavy leather from both stances, and his right hand likely carries more snap than his left, unusual for a southpaw. That two-fisted threat creates problems most contenders would rather skip.

Silyagin has not accepted or refused yet, but he sits next in line. If he declines, the IBF will keep dialing down the rankings until someone bites. Iglesias waits. His resume earned him the number one spot. It has also made him the fighter nobody wants to share a ring with.