IBF Opens Talks After Silyagin Agrees To Face Iglesias

Iglesias has waited weeks to learn who would actually sign on for the vacant belt after Terence Crawford retired and vacated his titles. The IBF first attempted to line up Iglesias with bigger names near the top of the rankings. The openings never turned into deals, and the process moved down the list until Silyagin accepted.

Several notable contenders declined the opportunity for different reasons tied to timing and title routes. Canelo Alvarez has a later return date in mind while recovering from elbow surgery. Jaime Munguia did not take the fight while working toward other plans. Hamzah Sheeraz has been linked to a separate title track at super middleweight rather than an IBF bout with Iglesias.

Troy Williamson expressed interest, but his situation is tied up by a rematch clause. Callum Simpson exercised his right to an immediate rematch after Williamson stopped him in Leeds last month, which blocks Williamson from taking another major fight in the near term.

Iglesias enters as the IBF number one contender and one of the division’s most dangerous punchers. The 28 year old southpaw surged in 2024 with four stoppage wins inside nine rounds, including early finishes of Marcelo Coceres and Evgeny Shvedenko, plus a technical knockout of Sena Agbeko and a fifth round stoppage of previously unbeaten Petro Ivanov. His strongest win came September 4, when he stopped unbeaten Vladimir Shishkin in the eighth round of an IBF eliminator to secure his spot at the front of the line.

Silyagin, 32, has fought exclusively in Russia since turning pro in 2020. He owns a win over Isaac Chilemba, the only opponent to take Iglesias the distance, and he fought Shvedenko to a split draw in 2023. Silyagin’s most recent outing was a wide decision win over hard hitting Argentine Pablo Corzo last July.

If the deal gets over the line, it will not just be about terms. It will also be about solving the practical pieces when one team is based in Montreal and the other operates out of Russia, including where the fight lands and what the travel looks like.

Iglesias has been waiting on someone to accept. Silyagin accepted, and talks are expected to follow.