Osleys Iglesias continued to prove himself as a hot prospect, knocking out Evgeny Shvedenko in the first round of their scheduled 12-round co-feature Thursday night at the Montreal Casino in Montreal, Canada.
The 26-year-old Iglesias, fighting from a southpaw stance, initially pawed with a right hook in what appeared to be an uneventful feel-out round. However, a solid left hand from Iglesias caught Shvedenko's attention, leaving redness on the 33-year-old's temple.
The decisive blow came when Iglesias landed a right hook – the same punch that started the fight. Shvedenko (16-1-1, 7 KOs) was left unconscious and convulsing on the mat, prompting referee Jerome Bruno Lades to wave off the bout immediately after Shvedenko hit the canvas. The fight was ended at 2:48 of the first.
Shvedenko recently fought undefeated Pavel Silyagin to a draw in September and lost a unanimous decision to William Scull in July 2022, a fight that made Scull the IBF super middleweight No. 1 contender.
Iglesias (11-0, 10 KOs) has fought only two rounds in 2024, including a first-round knockout victory over Marcelo Coceres earlier this year.
In another bout on the card, junior welterweight Movladdin Biyarslanov (15-0, 13 KOs) stopped Elias Mauricio Haedo (14-6, 10 KOs) at 2:59 in the fourth round.
Biyarslanov, 29, dominated the fight, though Haedo’s awkward movement initially proved challenging. Biyarslanov, known for his fancy footwork, methodically applied pressure, targeting both the body and head of Haedo, 26.
As the fight progressed, Biyarslanov's body shots wore down Haedo, who was less mobile by the fourth round. With less than 20 seconds remaining in the frame, Biyarslanov landed a straight left that floored Haedo, who was unable to get to his feet.