Osleys Iglesias has been waiting for weeks to learn who he would fight for the vacant IBF super middleweight title.

After the IBF attempted to make fights for him with higher-ranked, higher-profile opponents, Pavel Silyagin accepted the opportunity. The Ring has learned Eye of The Tiger, which represents Iglesias, and RCC Promotions, which handles Silyagin, will begin negotiations soon for their 12-round, 168-pound championship match.

Cuba’s Iglesias (14-0, 13 KOs) is the IBF’s No. 1 contender for a title Terence Crawford vacated when the former undisputed champ retired last month. Russia’s Silyagin (16-0-1, 7 KOs) is ranked seventh.

Former undisputed champ and third-ranked Canelo Alvarez, fourth-ranked Jaime Munguia and fifth-ranked Hamzah Sheeraz all passed on the chance to face the dangerous Iglesias for the IBF belt. Sixth-ranked Troy Williamson wanted to face Iglesias, but Callum Simpson exercised his contractual right to an immediate rematch with Williamson, who upset Simpson by 10th-round knockout December 20 in Leeds, England.

“The Tornado wants to take the world by a storm,” Eye of The Tiger president Camille Estephan told The Ring. “Iglesias is ready to take over.”

Iglesias, rated No. 2 by The Ring at 168 pounds, has left a trail of destruction behind him. He won four fights inside nine rounds during a breakout 2024, including first-round stoppages of world title challenger Marcelo Coceres and Evgeny Shvedenko, a second-round technical knockout of Sena Agbeko and a fifth-round TKO of previously unbeaten Petro Ivanov.

The left-handed, 28-year-old Iglesias recorded his most impressive victory September 4, when he stopped then-unbeaten Russian Vladimir Shishkin in the eighth round of their IBF elimination match.

Meanwhile, Silyagin, who is not ranked in The Ring’s top 10, has fought exclusively in Russia since he made his pro debut in February 2020.

The 32-year-old Silyagin owns a win over experienced former title challenger Isaac Chilemba, the only opponent to take Iglesias the distance. Iglesias beat the South African contender by unanimous decision in May 2022.

The lone blemish on Silyagin’s record is a 10-round split draw with Russia’s Shvedenko (17-2-1, 8 KOs) in September 2023. Silyagin most recently dominated hard-hitting Argentinean Pablo Corzo (24-1, 21 KOs) on his way to a wide win on all three scorecards July 5.