A former titleholder has answered the call to face the one heavyweight largely avoided by his divisional peers.
BoxingScene has confirmed that former IBF heavyweight titlist Daniel Dubois and Frank Sanchez will move forward with an ordered final elimination contest. The two sides have until October 22 to reach terms, to avoid a purse bid hearing.
The development has to serve as a sigh of relief for Cuba’s Sanchez, 25-1 (18 KOs), who has literally spent all year watching multiple contenders pass on the opportunity.
London’s Dubois, 22-3 (21 KOs), entered the mix after unbeaten heavyweights Moses Itauma and Richard Torrez Jnr both declined offers presented by the IBF to enter negotiations with Sanchez.
The move comes on the heels of Dubois’ repeat knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk in their July 19 rematch at Wembley Stadium. Dubois entered the fight as the reigning IBF titlist but conceded the strap to Usyk, who became a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion with the win.
Dubois claimed the IBF interim title in an eighth-round stoppage of unbeaten Filip Hrgovic last June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was subsequently upgraded when Usyk agreed that the full version of the belt should be at stake for Dubois’ scheduled clash with countryman and former two-time unified titlist Anthony Joshua last September.
Their celebrated all-UK title fight saw Dubois demolish Joshua inside of five rounds to validate his title reign.
A win over Sanchez will position Dubois for either a third shot at Usyk or a chance to become a two-time IBF titlist should the Ukrainian southpaw vacate or even retire.
Sanchez has fought just once this year – a confidence-restoring second-round knockout this past February in Tijuana, Mexico. The bout came nine months after his lone career defeat, a seventh-round stoppage to Agit Kabayel in their WBC interim title fight last May 18 in Riyadh.
Sanchez was previously due to next face Efe Ajagba in what would have been a rematch to their October 2021 meeting. Sampson Lewkowicz, proud founder of Sampson Boxing, LLC, claimed promotional rights to the contest, but Ajagba was disappointed with his end of the purse split and opted to move on from the opportunity.
Sanchez defeated Ajagba via unanimous decision in their October 2021 meeting between unbeaten heavyweights on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III undercard in Las Vegas.
The win didn’t bring him any closer to challenging for the main crown.
Sanchez has fought just seven times in the four years that have transpired, including the abovementioned defeat to Kabayel.
Sanchez was then stuck in a holding pattern when the IBF ordered him to next face Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic, 18-1 (14 KOs). The matchup was put in play in April, but talks never advanced and the matter was sent to a purse bid hearing.
The session was twice delayed and canceled outright, once Hrgovic instead agreed to next face David Adeleye, 14-1 (13 KOs), whom he defeated on August 16 in Riyadh.
The decisions by the teams surrounding Itauma and Torrez to pass are in part due to both having bouts planned for later this year.
Itauma is due to headline a December 13 show but is without an opponent for the occasion. Torrez was tabbed to return on a Top Rank undercard-heavy November 15 show in San Luis Postol, Mexico.
