Osleys Iglesias Stops Oliver Zaren in Seven, Calls for Canelo-Mbilli Winner

Osleys Iglesias strengthened his claim as one of boxing’s most dangerous super middleweights Thursday night, stopping previously unbeaten Oliver Zaren in the seventh round at Théâtre Capitole in Quebec City. Iglesias controlled the fight with his jab and power shots, then broke it open in the sixth round by dropping Zaren twice. After a ringside doctor allowed the challenger to continue, Zaren’s corner threw in the towel during the seventh, giving Iglesias his 10th consecutive stoppage and moving the Cuban champion to 16-0 with 15 knockouts.

The victory successfully completed Iglesias’ first defense of the IBF super middleweight championship he won earlier this year. More importantly, it puts him directly into the conversation surrounding the division’s next major unification. Iglesias made his intentions clear after the fight, saying he wants the winner of Canelo Alvarez’s October 31 showdown with WBC champion Christian Mbilli. That matchup could determine the most commercially attractive next target at 168 pounds.

Iglesias still needs one of the division’s other champions to accept the challenge, but his leverage continues to grow. Another dominant stoppage against an unbeaten challenger gives him both a world title and an increasingly difficult résumé to ignore. If the Canelo-Mbilli winner is willing, boxing could have a significant super middleweight unification fight to build toward in 2027.