Cuban lefty Osleys "El Tornado" Iglesias officially has a date - and an IBF mandate - that could land him squarely in the Saul "Canelo" Álvarez sweepstakes. Promoter Camille Estephan confirmed that the undefeated slugger returns September 4 in Canada for an IBF-super middleweight eliminator, with the opponent still to be determined. If the fight gets promoted to interim-title status, Iglesias can either be the mandatory or co-champ once Canelo finishes his mega-fight against Terence Crawford on September 13.
Negotiations originally had the 27-year-old Iglesias facing IBF No. 1 contender Vladimir Shishkin. Both fighters' promotional outfits - Eye of the Tiger for Iglesias and Salita Promotions for Shishkin - had reached a framework agreement, only the parties to get stuck on timing to make an announcement. Estephan did not go as far to say that Shishkin would definitely be in the ring opposite Iglesias, only that they were "close" to finding common ground.
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Iglesias has been on the shelf since he knocked out unbeaten Petro Ivanov in five rounds last November, which he claims is the result of a long line of potential dance partners avoiding him. "They duck me then call themselves the best," said Iglesias in a conference call. "On September 4, El Tornado is back - and I am coming for Canelo's belt." If Iglesias wins big he would join his gym-mate Christian Mbilli as Eye of the Tiger's second high-risk challenger at 168 pounds, and further congesting the line under the boxing superstar.
With Canelo locked-in on Crawford and the IBF being inflexible about mandatories, September 4 could decide who is next on the champion's calendar - or a vacant-title scenario if Álvarez chose to vacate. Either way, Iglesias is promising fireworks. "God's timing is perfect. I'm going all out," Iglesias vowed.
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