Frank Sanchez Enters IBF Eliminator With 13-Month Question Still Unanswered

Heavyweight contender seeks answers in IBF eliminator

Frank Sanchez is fighting for a heavyweight title shot on March 28. The more pressing question is whether the flaws exposed by Agit Kabayel have been repaired.

Sanchez built his name on balance and patience. He’d set his feet, keep that lead foot just outside, touch you with the jab and shoot the right hand straight down the middle. Nothing wasted. Everything came off a strong base.

That base wasn’t there in May 2024 on the Fury–Usyk undercard when Agit Kabayel put him down twice and got him out in seven.

You could see it early. The right knee didn’t look right. He wasn’t sitting down on his punches. His stance got too narrow, too upright. When your feet aren’t under you, the timing goes. The counters lose their snap. You start reacting instead of dictating. Kabayel stepped in, worked the body, kept him turning. Once Sanchez couldn’t hold his ground, it unraveled.

Sanchez returned the following February and stopped Ramon Olivas Echeverria inside three rounds, but the outing revealed little. Since that night, Sanchez has not fought. The layoff now reaches 13 months, which is a long pause for a heavyweight trying to reassert himself in a division that punishes hesitation.

That question follows him into March 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where he meets Richard Torrez Jr. in an IBF eliminator on the undercard of Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman. The setting is significant, but the examination is personal.

Time away after a stoppage loss can help repair damaged joints and restore physical strength, yet it can also dull instincts that only live competition maintains. Heavyweight timing is tied to positioning and reaction. A step taken too late or a delayed counter can change the fight quickly.

Torrez did not spend the last year waiting. He fought several times in 2024 and again in 2025 against a range of opponents, logging rounds in different types of fights. That level of activity keeps a fighter familiar with the speed and pressure of live competition, so there is little need for adjustment once the bell rings and exchanges begin. Against someone coming off a long break, that familiarity can show up quickly, especially if the fight becomes physical.

The ranking tied to this eliminator carries weight on paper. The real question is Sanchez.

If the knee was the reason he came apart against Kabayel, you’ll see it in his feet once the pace climbs. Watch how he sets them. Watch if he can punch and hold his ground when the other man steps in. A healthy base shows up when the rounds get physical.

If the damage went beyond the knee, that shows up too. When Torrez starts edging forward, letting his hands go, and pushing exchanges inside, there’s nowhere to hide. Heavyweights don’t need long to expose that.