What to Know
- Osleys Iglesias delivered another impressive performance, forcing Oliver Zaren to retire in the seventh round.
- Iglesias kicks off a month in which all four super middleweight world champions defend their titles, along with former undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez.
- After his victory, Iglesias said he’d like to face the winner of the Mexico vs the World main event on October 31.
Osleys Iglesias reinforced his emerging reputation as the super middleweight division’s most exciting and entertaining champion. The IBF champion Iglesias, a Cuban native based in Berlin (16-0, 15 KOs), successfully defended his title with a seventh-round TKO win over previously undefeated Oliver Zaren of Denmark (19-1-1, 8 KOs) in the main event of the Eye of the Tiger-promoted card Thursday night in front of a happy crowd at the Théâtre Capitole in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
As he has in most of his previous fights, Iglesias broke the Danish challenger down round after round with his precise power jab, combination punching, and relentless pressure. He is a supremely confident fighter in the ring, With the tools in his toolkit, it’s easy to see why.
Back to back KD’s for Osleys Iglesias 😮💨 GambleAware 18+ Please play responsibly #IglesiasZaren | Live NOW on DAZN | #DZBTUK #DAZNBTFR #DZBTCANADA ▪️ https://t.co/Z32tB3FGDN
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) October 9, 2026
Credit to the 26-year-old Zaren for taking his shot, but Iglesias controlled the distance and kept Zaren from finding his rhythm from the opening round. Zaren started to show damage from the Cuban’s jab in the third and fourth rounds. A cut over the left eye began to affect Zaren from the power jab of Iglesias. The “Great Dane” attempted to hang in and find a way to get his own offense going, knowing he was losing every round.
In the sixth round, Iglesias pounced with the left eye bothering Zaren, and scored two knockdowns. The referee ruled a third apparent knockdown a slip. Zaren survived with the help of the bell at the end of the round. But his balance was shaky, and he had little to offer. Still, after a careful exam by the ringside physician, Zaren came out for the seventh round.
But trainer and former Danish world champion Mikkel Kessler, the last Danish male boxer to fight for a world title in 2013, watched Zoren closely. Halfway through the round, Kessler did the right thing and saved Zoren from any more punishment, sending the towel flying into the ring. Having been in Zoren’s position, Kessler gave him every chance until his health forced him to stop him. It may not have been the wisest idea, but it came from a fighter’s heart.
Osleys Igelsias Has Unification Ambitions
Iglesias has been training with respected Canadian trainer Marc Ramsey, who also led Artur Beterbiev and Christian Mbilli to world titles in Montreal. After leaving Cuba, Iglesias made his home in Berlin. The move to work in Canada for training camp is already showing results.
After his victory, Iglesias made his intentions to target the winner of the title fight on October 31 between WBC World Super Middleweight champion and Eye of the Tiger stablemate Christian Mbilli and former undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. “I hope the winner faces me. I’d like my next fight to be a unification.”
Iglesias’s other options include WBA World Super Middleweight Jaime Munguia, who defends his super middleweight title on the October 31 undercard, and WBO World Super Middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz. Who wouldn’t love a tournament among these four, along with interim champion Lester Martinez?
Wilkens Mathieu Passes the Test Against Vladimir Shishkin
In the co-main event, talented super middleweight Wilkens Mathieu (17-0, 11 KOs) had to work hard to defend his NABF regional title in a rough and tumble fight with Vladimir Shishkin of Russia (17-3, 11 KOs) by split decision. Scores were 98-92 twice for Mathieu, and 97-93 for Shishkin.
When Osleys Iglesias defeated Shishkin, her went on to fight for his world title. The 21-year-old Mathieu hopes to follow in the Cuban’s path, but he will need to stay patient for a while in a highly competitive division and move up with purpose through the sanctioning organization rankings.
Leïla Beaudoin Tees Up a Full Title
WBA Interim Super Featherweight title holder Leïla Beaudoin (16-2, 2 KOs) of Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec heard those magic words, “And still!,” winning her first title defense against number two ranked contender and Latin American champion, Brisa Alfonzo of Argentina (9-2-2, 1 KO). It was a complete shutout on all three judges’ scorecards, 100-89.
Beaudoin has now won 90 straight rounds in her last three fights on all judges’ scorecards, an impressive set of stats.
Beaudoin could find herself elevated to full championship status once the outcome of the fight between Elif Nur Turhan and Alycia Baumgardner in November for a world title at lightweight is determined. If Baumgardner wins and decides to remain at lightweight, Beaudoin will automatically be elevated.
One and Done for Iman Khataev
Olympic bronze medalist Imam Khataev (13-1, 12 KOs) delivered an impressive first round knockout, thrilling the Quebec City fans with his performance against Padraig McCrory of Belfast (20-3, 10 KOs). It took Khataev barely a minute to take down McCrory with what looked like a temple shot, although McCrory reacted as if he’d been hit to the body.
DONE IN ONE ‼️ Imam Khataev scores a first-round knockout win against Padraig McCrory 🥊 #IglesiasZaren | Live NOW on DAZN 📺 https://t.co/m4WO8N7bjN
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) October 9, 2026
McCrory also suffered losses to Craig Richards and Edgar Berlanga, the other notable names on his resume.
Khataev is taking care of business as he steps up, with only one controversial loss to David Morrell, a decision loss despite scoring a knockdown over the Cuban import.
Bear this in mind: Khataev lost to Ben Whittaker in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics semifinals, denying him a chance to fight for gold or silver. It would be a delicious rematch to see Khataev take on Whittaker. Khataev’s performance Thursday was far superior to Whittaker’s last week.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
