Frank Sanchez will become one of the few fighters to box three times in this unusual year beleaguered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
BoxingScene.com has learned that the Cuban heavyweight contender will meet Mexico’s Julian Fernandez on December 19 in San Antonio. Their 10-round bout will be part of the Canelo Alvarez-Callum Smith undercard at Alamodome.
Like Alvarez, Sanchez is trained by Eddy Reynoso. Sanchez, who stands 6-feet-4, is moving around with Alvarez during sparring sessions in San Diego to help the Mexican superstar prepare for the 6-feet-3 Smith.
The 28-year-old Sanchez (16-0, 12 KOs) most recently stopped Brian Howard in the fourth round November 7 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The developing Sanchez dropped Howard (15-4, 12 KOs) once in the third round and twice in the fourth round, when referee Jerry Cantu halted their scheduled 10-round encounter.
In Sanchez’s prior appearance, he comfortably out-boxed Philadelphia’s Joey Dawejko in a 10-round match March 7 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Sanchez was criticized for his tactical approach versus Dawejko (20-8-4, 11 KOs), but he was very aggressive against Howard, of Loganville, Georgia.
Sanchez is ranked 10th by the WBO and 14th by the WBA.
Tijuana’s Fernandez (14-2, 11 KOs) has been stopped inside the distance twice.
Germany’s Tom Schwarz (26-1, 18 KOs) knocked him out in the second round of their September 2018 bout in Magdeburg, Germany. Following a three-fight winning streak, Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov (11-0, 11 KOs) then stopped Fernandez in the third round of their September 2019 fight in Montreal.
Fernandez, 27, hasn’t fought since Makhmudov defeated him 14 months ago.
DAZN will stream the Sanchez-Fernandez fight as part of the Alvarez-Smith undercard two weeks from Saturday night. Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) will challenge England’s Smith (27-0, 19 KOs) for his WBA “super” 168-pound championship in their 12-round main event.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.