Pick it: Osleys Iglesias vs. Vladimir Shishkin
When to Watch: Thursday, September 4 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (11:30 p.m. BST).
Why to Watch: This is an elimination bout between the IBF’s two top-ranked super middleweights; Osleys Iglesias is rated third while Vladimir Shishkin is in the second spot. The winner will move into the vacant No. 1 position and will await either a shot at the winner of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford or for the winner of that super-fight to be stripped, as the IBF did when Canelo declined to face William Scull last year.
Iglesias, 13-0 (12 KOs), is a 27-year-old originally from Cuba who lives in Berlin, Germany, and has made a recent habit of blasting out his opponents on shows in Canada. This fight at the Casino de Montreal is Iglesias’ fifth straight outing in either Montreal or Quebec City.
He put away the 32-6-1 Marcelo Coceres and the 16-1-1 Evgeny Shvedenko before the first round was over – the KO of Shvedenko was particularly frightening. The 28-3 Sena Agbeko couldn’t make it beyond the second round and, most recently, the 18-0-2 Petro Ivanov lasted into the fifth. Iglesias-Ivanov took place in November, which means Iglesias is coming off a 10-month layoff.
It will be interesting to see how Iglesias fares against Shishkin. Another knockout would be impressive, but so would showing additional facets of his game or overcoming adversity against a fellow contender at 168lbs.
Shishkin, 16-1 (10 KOs), fought for the vacant IBF title last year, losing a disputed decision to William Scull in October. Scull, of course, went on to drop that belt back to its previous owner, Canelo, this past May. As for Shishkin, his team appealed the Scull result, and while the defeat remains on his record, the IBF kept the 34-year-old Russian high up in its rankings, which allowed for this second chance.
Shishkin turned pro in 2016, shortly after his 25th birthday. He topped Nadjib Mohammedi (a former light heavyweight title challenger, though that’s giving Mohammedi more credit than he deserves) via 10th-round TKO in 2018. His record also includes wins over the 13-1-2 DeAndre Ware via TKO8 in 2019, the 15-0-2 Ulises Solis via unanimous decision in 2020, the aforementioned 23-1 Sena Agbeko via unanimous decision in 2021 (three years before Iglesias faced him), and former super middleweight titleholder Jose Uzcategui via unanimous decision in 2022.
The Scull fight represented a significant step up in Shishkin’s level of opposition. This fight with Iglesias is another bout against a skilled contender, and one who presents a completely different set of challenges than Scull did.
The undercard features a bout between unbeaten lightweight prospects Dzmitry Asanau, 10-0 (4 KOs), and Laid Douadi, 27-0-1 (3 KOs); plus several other prospects early in their development, including junior welterweight Jhon Orobio, 14-0 (12 KOs), and middleweight Alexandre Gaumont, 13-0 (9 KOs).
More Fights to Watch
Friday, September 5: Michael Conlan vs. Jack Bateson (Channel 5 in the U.K., Triller TV in the U.S.)
The main broadcast begins at 4 p.m. Eastern Time (9 p.m. BST) on Channel 5, while Triller’s main show is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET (7 p.m. BST). A free preliminary undercard begins on Triller at 12:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. BST).
Conlan, 19-3 (9 KOs) is a 33-year-old former world title challenger from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He’ll be starring in the main event at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.
Conlan returned earlier this year after a 15-month layoff, getting back on the winning side for the first time since 2022. He’d turned pro with fanfare after earning a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics and then suffering a controversial defeat in the 2016 Games. Conlan worked his way up the rankings before suffering a dramatic 12th-round TKO loss to Leigh Wood in their March 2022 war.
He bounced back with a pair of victories over former Vasiliy Lomachenko opponent Miguel Marriaga (UD10) and Karim Guerfi (TKO1). That landed Conlan a shot at then-titleholder Luis Alberto Lopez in May 2023; Conlan was stopped in the fifth round. As rough as that loss was, even more damaging was a seventh-round TKO at the hands of the 27-2-1 Jordan Gill in December 2023.
After taking plenty of time to recover and recharge, Conlan took a points win this past March over the 19-5-1 Asad Asif Khan. Every fight from here will have a bearing on Conlan’s future or lack thereof; he knows that his next loss will be his last one.
Bateson, 20-1-1 (6 KOs), is a 31-year-old from Leeds, England, who is a former sparring partner of Conlan’s. He was stopped in the 12th and final round by junior featherweight prospect Shabaz Masoud in November 2022. Bateson then jumped up two weight divisions to junior lightweight, though he’ll be dropping to 126lbs for this bout.
Since the loss to Masoud, Bateson has defeated foes with records of 14-20, 8-18-2 and 16-4-1. He last was in the ring in December, when a match with the 12-0 Danny Quartermaine ended as a two-round technical draw because both men were badly cut after their heads collided.
The undercard will see Charlie Edwards, 20-2 (7 KOs), back in the ring for the first time since his March split decision loss to bantamweight Andrew Cain. Edwards, who held a flyweight title from 2018-2019, will be at junior bantamweight for this match with Salvador Juarez, 20-9-2 (4 KOs).
Friday, September 5: Jordan White vs. Rene Tellez Giron (ProBox TV)
The broadcast begins at 6 p.m. Eastern Time (11 p.m. BST).
White, 19-1 (12 KOs), is a 28-year-old lightweight from Washington, D.C., who is main eventing in the city’s CareFirst Arena. His only loss came very early in his career, in just his fifth pro fight, a decision to Adam Lopez. White is on a 15-fight win streak, including a first-round knockout of the 17-0 Eridson Garcia in August 2023. Most recently, White widely outpointed Jose Matias Romero in April; Romero’s other three losses had all come against good foes: Isaac Cruz, Michel Rivera and Robeisy Ramirez.
Giron, 21-5 (13 KOs), is a 26-year-old from Mexico. In June 2024, he was overweight for his fight with Alex Dilmaghani and went on to win via stoppage after seven rounds. That landed Giron a fight with lightweight contender Floyd Schofield in November; Schofield was dropped in the 11th but otherwise won a wide decision. In February, Giron was overweight again for a bout with former title challenger Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez; Hernandez won the near-shutout. In his last bout, Giron took a cut-shortened technical decision in April against a 2-7-2 foe.
On the undercard, Bryan Acosta and Sulaiman Segawa will face off in a fight between two featherweights seeking to recover from recent defeats.
Acosta, 20-1 (8 KOs), had mostly fought between featherweight and junior lightweight but dropped down to 122lbs earlier this year, when he lost a close decision to Ramon Cardenas, who went on to give Naoya Inoue hell.
Segawa, 17-5-1 (6 KOs), pushed Bruce Carrington hard a year ago but wound up on the short end of a majority decision. Segawa is a measuring stick opponent for more talented fighters; his other losses were to prospect versions of Mirco Cuello, Jamaine Ortiz, Abraham Nova and William Foster III.
Also on this show are a lightweight bout between Jonhatan Cardoso, 18-1 (15 KOs), and Luis Torres Valenzuela, 21-1 (12 KOs), plus appearances by a number of prospects, including lightweight Deric “Scooter” Davis, 7-0 (7 KOs), and junior bantamweight Jordan Roach, 4-0 (1 KO), younger brother of junior lightweight titleholder Lamont Roach Jnr.
(Note: ProBox TV and BoxingScene are both owned by Garry Jonas.)
Friday, September 5: Euri Cedeno vs. Willie Jones (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (midnight BST).
Cedeno, 12-0-1 (11 KOs), is a 25-year-old who represented the Dominican Republic in the Olympics in 2021. As a pro, he’s also taken part in Team Combat League, with four total rounds on two nights.
Jones, 10-3 (7 KOs), is a 32-year-old from North Carolina. He spent most of his career at or around welterweight but came in at about 164lbs for a victory in May against a 9-7 opponent.
This show is at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Friday, September 5: Joey Spencer vs. Chris Howard (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (1 a.m. BST).
Spencer, 19-2 (11 KOs), is back in the ring five months after getting demolished by Tim Tszyu in Australia. He’ll headline in front of his home state fans in Escanaba, Michigan, though the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds are nearly 400 miles away from where Spencer lives. He’ll face Howard, 18-5-1 (8 KOs).
Saturday, September 6: Eduardo Nunez vs. Christopher Diaz (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (2 a.m. BST).
“Sugar” Nunez, 28-1 (27 KOs), won the vacant IBF junior lightweight title in May, when he traveled to Japan and outpointed the 16-1 Masanori Rikiishi. For his first defense, the 28-year-old Nunez will headline in his hometown of Los Mochis, Mexico.
Nunez has now won 18 in a row since suffering his lone loss in 2018 in what was his 11th pro fight, losing by one point on all three scorecards against the 9-2-2 Hiram Gallardo. Until the Rikiishi fight, all of Nunez’s victories had come by way of KO or TKO, including a second-round knockout of the 18-0 Jesus Martin Ceyca, a two-round stoppage of faded former featherweight title challenger Oscar Escandon, and a TKO of former title challenger Miguel Marriaga after six rounds in August 2024.
On paper, this fight with Diaz isn’t a step up or even a parallel move in terms of level of opposition. Then again, it isn’t intended to be. This night is meant to be a victory lap for Nunez to entertain for as long as the fight lasts.
Diaz, 30-5 (19 KOs), is ranked 15th by the IBF. The 30-year-old Florida resident has lost every time he’s stepped up against certain tiers, including in two previous title bouts.
Diaz earned his first shot at a world title in 2018 following TKO victories over the 18-2 Bryant Cruz and the 19-2 Braulio Rodriguez. The vacant WBO junior lightweight belt was on the line in the wake of Vasiliy Lomachenko’s departure for 135lbs. But Diaz fell short, dropping a unanimous decision to Masayuki Ito. Diaz dropped down to featherweight, won a confidence-builder and then was widely outpointed by Shakur Stevenson in a non-title affair.
Diaz bounced back with a pair of victories in 2020 and then got his second chance, challenging Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO title at 126lbs in April 2021. Diaz was game, but Navarrete was well ahead when he stopped “Pitufo” in the 12th round. Another loss immediately followed, this one by majority decision against Isaac Dogboe in November 2021.
Diaz moved back to 130lbs and has gone 4-1 since then, notching three victories before a unanimous decision loss to the 19-0 Henry Lebron last December. In Diaz’s most recent outing, he took an eight-round decision in April over the 9-10 Jose Antonio Meza.
On the undercard, former 108-pound titleholder Pedro Guevara is back for the second time since last November’s three-round blowout loss to junior bantamweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. Guevara won a 10-round decision in March against the 13-12-1 Jose Armando Valdes Bernal, moving to 43-5-1 (22 KOs).
Guevara will face former junior flyweight titleholder Adrian Curiel, 26-6-1 (5 KOs). Curiel won the IBF belt at 108lbs in November 2023 with a second-round KO of Sivenathi Nontshinga. But Curiel’s reign didn’t last long; Nontshinga stopped him in the 10th round of their immediate rematch in February 2024. That was followed by Curiel moving up to flyweight and dropping a technical decision to former titleholder Sunny Edwards in June 2024. Since then, Curiel added a pair of triumphs against opponents with records of 6-2 and 8-2-2.
Guevara-Curiel is listed as a junior bantamweight bout.
Saturday, September 6: Pat McCormack vs. Miguel Parra (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. BST).
McCormack, 7-0 (5 KOs) is a welterweight prospect who competed in the Olympics in 2021, taking home a silver medal after losing to Roniel Iglesias in the finale. He turned pro in March 2022 and has been featured underneath more prominent names. This will be the first main event for McCormack, a 30-year-old from outside of Sunderland, England, who will be performing for his home crowd at Sunderland Live.
And it is time for McCormack to start stepping it up, not because of the number of fights he has had but because of the number of years he has lived and therefore has left in his presumed prime.
It didn’t help that he spent nearly 16 months away – in part due to an injury – between a July 2023 TKO win over the 14-4 Tony Dixon and an October 2024 shutout of the 16-3 Williams Andres Herrera. McCormack fought again in February, defeating the 24-5 Robbie Davies Jnr with three knockdowns in six rounds. This will be only the second fight of 2025 for McCormack.
Parra, 25-5-1 (17 KOs), is a 32-year-old from Mexico who has fought professionally for almost a dozen years. Among his defeats were a fourth-round knockout in 2021 against Roiman Villa (later a foe for Jaron “Boots” Ennis); a decision loss to then-undefeated prospect Florian Marku in 2022; and a narrow split decision loss to welterweight contender Shakhram Giyasov in July 2024. Parra has won three straight since, most recently putting away the 30-7 Nestor Gonzalez after three rounds in July.
Parra has more professional experience and has been more active than McCormack, and he has been in with some competent opposition. He will be a good measuring stick for where McCormack is in his development.
The co-feature has super middleweight Mark Dickinson, 8-1 (2 KOs), against Troy Williamson, 20-4-1 (14 KOs), who ironically was the main event for McCormack’s pro debut.
Also on the undercard, former welterweight titleholder Sandy Ryan, 7-3-1 (3 KOs), will return from her back-to-back losses to Mikaela Mayer. Ryan will face Jade Grierson, 5-0-1 (2 KOs). Plus, there will be appearances by prospects such as heavyweight Leo Atang, 1-0 (1 KO); bantamweight Adam Maca 1-0 (1 KO); and lightweight Cameron Vuong, 8-0 (4 KOs).
Sunday, September 7: Tom Welland vs. Kevin Herrera (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at noon Eastern Time (5 p.m. BST).
Welland, 9-0 (5 KOs), is a 21-year-old from Wickford, England, not too far from this headline spot at the Brentwood Centre. Welland has recently fought at and around junior lightweight, but this bout is listed on BoxRec as taking place at featherweight. This will be Welland’s fourth fight of the year; his three victories in 2025 came against foes with records of 18-21, 5-1-2 and 18-19-2.
Herrera, a 23-year-old from Mexico, is 11-3 (4 KOs). He’s won four straight against unheralded opposition since dropping a decision to the 9-1-1 Jorge Ascanio Martinez in December 2023.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
