Since Oleksandr Usyk officially relinquished his unified heavyweight titles on Friday, boxing’s sanctioning bodies have wasted little time in filling the vacancies.
The WBC officially elevated interim champion Agit Kabayel to full WBC heavyweight champion on Saturday, and on Tuesday the IBF formally ordered its No. 1-ranked contender Frank Sanchez to face No. 3 contender Moses Itauma for its vacant heavyweight crown.
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The pair have until July 29 to reach an agreement for the bout or purse bids will be called.
Sanchez (26-1, 19 KOs), whose lone career blemish was a stoppage loss to Agit Kabayel in 2024, captured the No. 1 ranking with the IBF after stopping American heavyweight hope Richard Torrez Jr. in an upset this past May in Egypt.
Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs), arguably the top young up-and-comer in the sport, knocked out Jermaine Franklin in an impressive showing this past March in Manchester.
The Brit has a fight scheduled for Aug. 29 at The O2 Arena in London against top heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic. Although this would normally mean that a matchup between Itauma and Sanchez is unlikely to materialize, the IBF does not usually order fights unless both boxers accept invitations to enter talks, which means there may be a willingness to make the fight — or reach a deal that accommodates both parties.
Should Itauma ultimately withdraw from talks, it is likely the IBF has to go down to the No. 6-ranked contender in its rankings, Bakhodir Jalolov, before it finds an available suitor.
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