Osleys Iglesias slowly battered his larger challenger Oliver Zaren into a seventh-round stoppage on Thursday night, retaining his IBF and IBO super middleweight titles at Théâtre Capitole in Quebec City.
Zaren’s trainer, former champion Mikkel Kessler, threw in the towel in the seventh after watching his fighter absorb sustained punishment. The Dane’s toughness kept him in the fight, but he could not produce enough offense to change its direction.
Iglesias (16-0, 15 KOs) had to work longer than he has against some of his previous opponents, steadily breaking Zaren down rather than ending the contest with an early knockout. The challenger took the shots and continued trying, giving the Cuban time to demonstrate how effectively he can wear down an opponent who doesn’t go away immediately.
“I hope the winner [Canelo-Mbilli] faces me. I’d like my next fight to be a Unification,” said Iglesias about wanting to fight the winner of the October 31st fight between WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli and Canelo Alvarez.
Zaren looked bigger, but that size did little to slow Iglesias. The champion controlled the contest and landed cleanly, increasing his output as the rounds passed. Zaren was spending too much of the fight absorbing punches without delivering enough back to make Iglesias hesitate.
That was the difference between surviving and competing. Zaren remained on his feet, but there was little reason to expect the fight to turn in his favor. Kessler eventually made the decision his fighter’s durability had delayed, preventing further punishment in a contest that had become one-sided.
The 26-year-old Zaren (19-1-1, 8 KOs) entered his first world title challenge ranked fifth by the IBF. His unbeaten record had been built without a victory over a leading super middleweight, and Iglesias exposed how much more was required at championship level.
For Iglesias, 28, this was his first IBF defense after winning the vacant belt against Pavel Silyagin in April. He has now stopped Vladimir Shishkin, Silyagin and Zaren in consecutive fights.
Bigger names remain the next test. Zaren gave Iglesias rounds and showed considerable toughness, but he never forced the champion to fight on his terms. Iglesias leaves Quebec with another challenger worn down and another stoppage on his record.