The last time Vladimir Shishkin encountered a Cuban opponent, William Scull’s reluctance to actually fight frustrated the Russian super middleweight contender.

Shishkin is still optimistic about boxing another unbeaten Cuban on Thursday night because he’ll have no such difficulty finding Osleys Iglesias. Unlike Scull, the powerful southpaw seeks and tries to destroy his opponents.

Iglesias — touted as one of boxing’s most avoided, dangerous contenders — almost always fights off his front foot and should present Shishkin with opportunities to showcase his capabilities in ways the elusive Scull negated last year in Berlin.

Shishkin thinks he did more than enough to beat Scull, who won an unconvincing unanimous decision and the then-vacant IBF 168-pound championship. He also secured a shot at Canelo Alvarez for a career-high purse May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Shishkin, the IBF’s No. 2 contender, and the third-ranked Iglesias will fight to become the New Jersey-based sanctioning organization’s mandatory challenger for Alvarez or Terence Crawford.

Punchinggrace.com will stream Iglesias-Shishkin as the 12-round main event of a six-bout card from Casino de Montreal (6:30 p.m. ET; 11:30 p.m. BST).

“I’ve seen his fights,” Shishkin told The Ring. “He has a strong punch, but I like that he’s aggressive and he goes forward. Scull ran away, but I think with his style, it’s a good fight for me to show my best skills. I think my footwork and my skills is much better than his.”

The Ring rates Iglesias (13-0, 12 KOs) third among its top 10 contenders for Alvarez’s title. Shishkin (16-1, 10 KOs), ranked ninth, hasn’t boxed in the 10½ months since Scull beat him.

Shishkin’s attorney filed a protest with the Association of German Professional Boxers following his costly loss to Scull. Though the decision wasn’t overturned, the IBF kept Shishkin in the No. 2 spot in its top 15.

“After fighting Scull, you think, 'Not another Cuban,' because you think they’re gonna run away from you,” Mick Hobart, Shishkin’s manager and assistant trainer, told The Ring. “But once I told Vlad, ‘Watch the tape. You’re gonna see the guy comes forward and all of that,’ he said, ‘He’s perfect for me.’ That’s the type of guy he likes anyway.”

Hobart recognizes the traits that could make Iglesias special. He also pointed out that Shishkin, 34, has never been down in sparring, let alone a fight, and is the most formidable opponent the Quebec-based Iglesias, 27, will have faced in 14 professional fights.

“Iglesias puts all of his power into his punches and he often overreaches, especially with his right hook,” Hobart said. “So, he’s gonna be throwing those big punches and I think Vladimir may very well make him miss and you may even see him get hurt.

“The worst time to get hit is when you’re not seeing it and you’re overreaching and overpunching. That’s a better style for [Shishkin] than a guy running away. Even Canelo, the best in the division, hated that. Nobody likes a fighter that’s running away.”