The 28-year-old Iglesias (15-0, 14 KOs) captured the vacant IBF title in April when Pavel Silyagin retired after eight rounds. Before that, Iglesias stopped Vladimir Shishkin in the eighth round to earn his world title opportunity.
With 14 knockouts in 15 professional bouts, Iglesias has established a reputation as one of the division’s most destructive punchers.
Zaren (19-0-1, 8 KOs) is No. 5 in the IBF rankings after spending most of his career competing across Europe. Former 168-pound champion Mikkel Kessler trains the 26-year-old Dane, bringing world-title experience to the challenger’s corner.
Zaren believes he has the ability to deal with Iglesias’ power.
“This fight is a dream come true for me, a dream I have cherished since childhood, and one that will ultimately come true with my victory. Osleys Iglesias is strong, tall, powerful, and I know he scares even the world’s elite… but not me, because I know my level,” Zaren said.
The challenger lacks the champion’s knockout punch, leaving him with the difficult task of neutralizing an opponent with a 93 percent knockout ratio.
Iglesias has stopped eight consecutive opponents since going 12 rounds with Isaac Chilemba in May 2022. His last six victories have come in eight rounds or fewer.
The October 8 card also features 21-year-old Wilkens Mathieu putting his NABF belt on the line against Shishkin. Leïla Beaudoin, Dzmitry Asanau, Luis Santana and Imam Khataev are scheduled to compete on the undercard.
