The Cuban heavyweight earned IBF mandatory status in Egypt but still faces major obstacles in landing a title shot against Usyk
Frank Sanchez wants a world title fight against Oleksandr Usyk after knocking out Richard Torrez Jr. in two rounds Saturday night in Egypt, but the heavyweight division may already be moving in another direction. Despite earning IBF mandatory status, Sanchez now finds himself competing with bigger commercial fights surrounding Usyk’s future.
Sanchez earned IBF mandatory status with his destruction of Torrez on the undercard of Usyk’s dramatic stoppage win over Rico Verhoeven. However, Usyk’s future already appears crowded with bigger-money options tied to Riyadh Season plans.
“Frank sent a strong reminder that he is one of the most dangerous fighters in the division,” Sanchez’s manager, Mike Borao, told Sky Sports.
“An injury temporarily slowed his momentum, but he’s now back in top form and ready to make the best of his mandatory status.”
Borao said the priority is securing a fight with Usyk “as soon as possible,” but his comments suggested Sanchez’s team already knows the mandatory shot may not come next.
“In the meantime, if fights against top heavyweights like [Daniel] Dubois, [Deontay] Wilder, [Anthony] Joshua, [Tyson] Fury, Verhoeven, [Francis] Ngannou or others become available, Frank has no problem staying active against elite competition while waiting for his world title shot,” Borao said.
Usyk is widely expected to pursue a fight against Agit Kabayel next, with a Verhoeven rematch and a possible trilogy bout against Fury also part of the discussion.
“We hope Frank gets the opportunity to box Usyk, but ultimately that decision rests with him,” Borao said.