Osleys Iglesias slated to face Marcelo Coceres in Butler-Rolls co-feature on March 7

Osleys Iglesias takes it to veteran gatekeeper Isaac Chilemba. Photo by Polsat Boxing Promotions

Feb

We’ve known for a while that former two-time middleweight title challenger Steven Butler would be facing Steve Rolls in a big all-Canadian fight at the Montreal Casino in Montreal on March 7.

However, now we also know that Eye of The Tiger’s recent signing Osleys Iglesias will make his debut for the Montreal-based promotional outfit against experienced former world title challenger Marcelo Coceres in the co-feature.

Meanwhile, Vanessa Lepage Joanisse will face Abril Argentina Vidal for the WBC female heavyweight title as the second co-feature.

Several of EOTT up-and-comers are scheduled to appear including light heavyweight Mehmet Unal (8-0, 7 knockouts) against sturdy journeyman Facundo Galovar (15-10-2, 9 KOs) in an 8-round fight. Lightweight Luis Santana (10-0, 4 KOs) will face Cristian Bielma (19-6-2, 7 KOs) in an 8-rounder. Also, featherweight puncher Thomas Chabot will face Jose Valdes (12-10-1, 5 KOs) in an 8-round fight.

Wilkens Mathieu (7-0, 4 KOs) will continue his progress with his third fight of the year against an opponent to be determined in a six-round super middleweight contest. Middleweight Moreno Fendero (4-0, 3 KOs) will also be having his third fight in as many months when he faces Heriberto Santillan (5-2, 3 KOs) in his first 6-round bout. Rising lightweight Jhon Orobio (6-0, 6 KOs) will also see action when he faces Arturo Torres (13-4-3, 5 KOs), who has never been stopped, in a 6-rounder.

Iglesias (9-0, 8 KOs) was a talented amateur in his native Cuba before turning professional in Germany in 2019. In just his sixth fight he dominated faded former two-time world title challenger Isaac Chilemba (UD 12).

The 26-year-old southpaw has since impressed stopping Ezequiel Maderna (KO 1), Andrii Velikovskyi (TKO 10) and, most recently, Artur Reis (KO 4).

Coceres (32-6-1, 18 knockouts) turned professional in 2012. He won 28 out of 29, the lone blemish an early draw on the notoriously tough Argentine circuit. The underalded fighter gave WBO super middleweight titlist Billy Joe Saunders all kinds of problems and was ahead on one of the scorecards when he was stopped in the 11th round.

Since then, the now 32-year-old has lost when he’s stepped up. He lost by decision to Edgar Berlanga (UD 10), Erik Bazinyan (UD 10), Meiirim Nursultanov (UD 10) and, most recently, he was stopped by rising force Diego Pacheco (KO 9).

Joannisse (6-1, 2 KOs) won three fights in Canada before heading to Mexico where she lost to Alejandra Jimenez (TKO 3) in a WBC female heavyweight title attempt.

After a five-and-half-year hiatus, she returned with three wins, notably dominating Timea Nagy (UD 6) last September to set up a second shot at the heavyweight title.

Vidal (10-1, 4 KOs) has been a professional since April 2018. The Argentine won the national junior middleweight title.That helped position her to face WBA 154-pound ruler Hanna Gabriels in her lone fight outside his homeland when he lost a 10-round unanimous decision in Costa Rica in July 2019.

She has since won two fights at home which helped her land this opportunity.

Butler-Rolls, plus undercard bouts, will be broadcast on ESPN+ in America and on Punchinggrace.com in Canada.