Osleys Iglesias, Wilkens Mathieu, and Thomas Chabot check in with Big Fight Weekend
MONTRÉAL — Preparations for the upcoming bouts of Osleys Iglesias, Wilkens Mathieu, and Thomas Chabot are well under way.
The three men are scheduled to feature on an Oct. 8 Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM) card at the Théâtre Capitole in Québec City, Canada. Fight fans around the world will be able to catch the action live on DAZN. Those in the Canadian province of Québec will also be able to do so on Punching Grace.
Big Fight Weekend was present at an open workout featuring the three boxers. Check out what they had to say below.
Osleys Iglesias, Wilkens Mathieu, and Thomas Chabot check in with Big Fight Weekend
Osleys Iglesias
Iglesias (15-0, 14 KOs) headlines the Oct. 8 event against Oliver Zaren (19-0-1, 8 KOs). His IBF super middleweight world title will be on the line. Iglesias won the belt against Pavel Silyagin earlier this year and will defend it for the first time against Zaren. The title had been vacated by Terence Crawford upon his retirement. This allowed for it to be put on the line when Iglesias fought Silyagin.
“The preparation is different, of course,” said Iglesias through an interpreter about training for Zaren. “Every opponent you got to adapt and train in a different way to fight this opponent. But, on the other side, it’s a new team [that I’m training with] so preparation is a bit different, but it’s a good preparation. The motivation has to come from me. That’s first thing’s first and it is there and I’m going to fight with all my heart. Respect to my opponent, but I’m coming for what’s mine.”
Iglesias began his professional boxing career with three fights in Germany. He then had five bouts in Poland before returning to Germany for one clash in 2023. By the end of that year, he signed with EOTTM and has so far fought six times in Canada. The bout against Zaren will be his seventh.
“It’s been good fighting here,” he said about boxing in Canada. “Not my first fight here, matter of fact I won my title here and I’m going to defend it here. I’m willing to defend that and win that fight. It’s been really good fighting here. The public is good. It’s a good atmosphere and I always bring the best to the table so it’s always going to be a good atmosphere.”
WBC super middleweight world champion Christian Mbilli is also promoted by EOTTM. Despite being promotional stablemates, Iglesias makes clear that he is willing to fight the Frenchman.
“A rival is a rival. If the unification has to be with him, be it. There’s got to be only one [champion] in the division. The titles can’t be everywhere. There’s only going to be one [champion] in the division and I train like a lion to be a tornado in the ring. The division knows there’s Osleys Iglesias in the division and he wants everything.”
Wilkens Mathieu
Mathieu (16-0, 11 KOs) continues his development in a 10-round super middleweight clash against Vladimir Shishkin (17-2, 11 KOs). The 21-year-old is among the most promising talents in Canadian boxing today. Mathieu is ranked within the top 15 of all four major world title sanctioning organizations. It may not be long before he is involved in a championship bout.
“I think I just have to [continue] to climb up the rankings,” said Mathieu. “Keep fighting names like Shishkin, names like [Shakeel] Phinn, names like [Esquiva] Falcão. Eventually I’m going to be at the top [of the rankings]. Mandatory for the WBC. I’m going to have my chance.”
“The preparation is the same,” he said about training for Shishkin. “We have just different sparring partners, but in terms of preparation it’s the same I would say. I just train harder. It’s more mental. It’s more my mind, how I prepare [it for the fight].”
Mathieu also shed some light on his training regimen.
“I booked an Airbnb closer to my conditioning gym and to my boxing gym so I have less distractions. Less traveling to do. I have my conditioning in the morning, boxing in the evening. I do my cardio at night. I do this six times a week.”
EOTTM have kept the young fighter active since he made his professional boxing debut in 2023. He fought five times that year, seven times in 2024, thrice in 2025, and fights for the second time in 2026 next month. Mathieu believes staying active in the ring has been crucial for his development.
“It’s been really important [to be active]. That’s what makes me comfortable in the ring with opponents that are more experienced than me. Because I was active, I catched [sic] up a little bit [with] the guys that have more experience than me. The fact that I was in the ring a lot, gave me more confidence in the ring and now I’m more comfortable in the ring.”
Thomas Chabot
Chabot (13-1, 8 KOs) will have his third fight of the year against Jose Antonio Sanchez (18-3-1, 6 KOs). The bout will be a 10-rounder and contested at featherweight. Chabot spent some time campaigning at 130-lbs. He made the move down in weight after losing to Logan Clouthier last year.
“There’s no major difference in the weight change because in my mind when I turned pro I envisioned going to 126 in the first place,” said Chabot through an interpreter. “But I did a few changes in trainers and when I set up with Giuseppe [Moffa], we both knew the time was now to move forward in that division.”
Chabot says that he has not had to make any significant changes to the way he trains. One thing that is different is that he does not feel as much pressure entering his fight against Sanchez as he did in his previous bout.
“There was no major change in camp. The only thing I did different was to remove some weight on my shoulders because I was thinking a lot about that first belt [Chabot holds one of the WBC’s regional titles].”
Chabot sees himself as a fighter who remains motivated even when things get tough in the ring.
“The major thing for me that I’m really proud of from all my fights and want to bring again is [my ability] when things get tough, I always get up and move forward even if I have less energy. I always find a way to go through the fight. That’s the major thing I’m proud of and want to continue [displaying].”
The Canadian is not currently ranked within the top 15 of any of the world title sanctioning organizations. However, Chabot believes he is working his way up and will soon fight for championship belts.
“I am getting closer. It feels like I’m getting closer to the top 15, [towards a] title shot. I just need to break a little bit more the mental barrier that I built in the last few years. I was having a hard time going through the motions with a lot of injuries, fight postponements, but if I can get that rhythm I think I can be way closer to a title shot.”
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Featured image credit
Vitor Munhoz – (EOTTM)
S Saadeq Ahmed
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.