Death, taxes and another heavyweight who doesn’t want to face Frank Sanchez.
BoxingScene has confirmed that Daniel Dubois is added to the growing list of contenders who’ve withdrawn from the IBF heavyweight title elimination process. A purse bid hearing previously scheduled to take place Thursday afternoon was canceled as a result.
The development comes just one week after both sides mutually agreed to a seven-day postponement, at the time in hopes that common ground could be reached.
Instead, Cuba’s Sanchez, 25-1 (18 KOs), is back on the hunt for a new challenger, should the IBF once again travel down this route. In the event another eliminator is ordered, Jared Anderson is ranked one spot below London’s Dubois, 22-3 (21 KOs), and presumably would be next.
Derek Chisora, 36-13 (23 KOs), currently holds the number-two spot in the IBF rankings. The middle-aged former title challenger is presently without a fight date after Queensberry Promotions canceled its previously planned December 13 show.
Whatever, the case, Dubois is obviously moving on to new business. The former IBF heavyweight titlist has not fought since a repeat knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk, 24-0 (15 KOs), in the July 19 undisputed clash at Wembley Stadium.
The feat saw Ukraine’s Usyk regain the IBF belt he vacated last June, to allow the full title to be at stake for Dubois’ eventual 5th round knockout of countryman Anthony Joshua last September 21, also at Wembley.
Dubois previously held the interim version of the IBF title before the upgrade.
Meanwhile, Sanchez’s career continues to waste away as the IBF struggles to move forward in its effort to solidify a new mandatory challenger for Usyk.
The 33-year-old Cuban heavyweight has seen at least five heavyweights bail on the process. Dubois joins Filip Hrgovic, Efe Ajagba, Moses Itauma and Richard Torrez Jnr in that regard.
