The lone U.S.-based sanctioning body is stacking up its mandatory contenders in the sport’s most storied weight division. 

BoxingScene has confirmed that Frank Sanchez and Filip Hrgovic have both accepted an invitation from the IBF to enter the negotiation period for an ordered title eliminator. The two sides were summoned on April 7 by the New Jersey-headquartered company, and were given three days to confirm availability for the opportunity. 

Hrgovic, represented by Queensberry Promotions and manager Keith Connolly, and Frank Sanchez—guided by Mike Borao—complied with the order and will now work together to hammer out a deal. 

The ruling comes just days ahead of the IBF’s plans to formally order London’s Daniel Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs), its reigning heavyweight titlist, to next face Derek Chisora. The IBF previously informed BoxingScene that the order is expected to come just after Easter, in time to begin the 60-day period to work out a deal ahead of the June 21 deadline. 

Should Hrgovic-Sanchez move forward, the winner would become the number-one contender, per a ruling obtained by BoxingScene. 

It could create a mess if Dubois does not next face Chisora, the IBF’s current number-two contender and the mandatory challenger by default. 

Dubois is in talks for a rematch with lineal, RING, WBA, WBC and WBO champ Oleksandr Usyk, 23-0 (14KOs), for the undisputed crown. The fight is not yet done, though reports on just how far along they are in talks has varied depending on the media outlet. 

BoxingScene has confirmed that Dubois’ team has yet to contact the IBF to seek an exception to the mandatory, the only way he could move forward with an Usyk rematch. 

Where that would leave Chisora, given the freshly ordered title eliminator, remains uncertain. IBF representatives were not available to immediately respond to a BoxingScene after-hours inquiry seeking clarification.

Croatia’s Hrgovic, 18-1 (14 KOs), a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, replaced a reportedly injured Dillian Whyte on very short notice ahead of an April 5 unanimous decision win over Joe Joyce in Manchester, England. 

The win was right on time, as the IBF sent the invitation to accept a title elimination bout just two days later. His feat came ten months after an eighth-round stoppage loss to Dubois with the interim IBF heavyweight title at stake last June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Sanchez, 25-1 (18 KOs), suffered his own defeat just two weeks prior to Hrgovic’s setback. It also came in Riyadh, where the Miami-based Cuban export was stopped in the seventh round by Agit Kabayel in their interim WBC title fight. 

One win has followed, a confidence-restoring third-round knockout of Ramon Olivas on February 22 in Tijuana, Mexico. 

Per IBF rule 9c, both Sanchez and Hrgovic are required to commit to the ordered eliminator since they both accepted the invitation to enter talks. Failure to move forward would result in the offending party dropping out of the top ten and no longer eligible to participate in an IBF-sanctioned fight for at least six months. 

Additionally, neither boxer can pursue a fight in the interim. 

Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.