DeCubas: Sanchez and Hrgovic Hoping to Reach an Agreement in the Coming Days, September is the Target Date For the Bout
- Matthew Brown
- 7 minutes ago
- 2 min read
05/17/2025
The postponed purse bid for the IBF heavyweight final eliminator between Frank Sánchez and Filip Hrgovic may not be necessary, at least that’s the hope.
“Yes, we are already negotiating this fight and hope there won’t be any issues in reaching an agreement in the coming days,” said Luis De Cubas. “We’re really happy about this opportunity that has emerged for Frank, as it represents a new path toward a world title shot.”
According to sources close to Sánchez’s team, both sides are expected to reach a “mutually beneficial agreement” for the two heavyweight contenders, avoiding the purse bid altogether.
Both teams formally notified the IBF of their willingness to face each other, and therefore requested a one-week extension to continue negotiations.
However, the road to the red and gold belt is not completely clear. British veteran Derek Chisora, following his surprising win over Otto Wallin this past February, is the current mandatory challenger. This means that the winner of a potential Sánchez-Hrgovic clash would become next in line for the title currently held by Daniel Dubois, who is set to face Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch on July 19 at Wembley Stadium in London for undisputed heavyweight supremacy.
Sánchez (25-1, 18 KOs), 32, is seeking to get back into the title picture. He returned to action on February 22 in Tijuana, where he comfortably defeated veteran Ramón Olivas (18-24) via third-round knockout.
Hrgovic (18-1, 14 KOs), also 32, is coming off a solid decision win over Joe Joyce, stepping in on short notice to replace Zhilei Zhang on April 5 in Manchester.
If an agreement is reached, the fight is tentatively scheduled for September. If no deal is finalized within the seven-day window, the organization will move forward with a purse bid.
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