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Boxing
Usyk rival forced to postpone IBF final eliminator amid injury woes
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Frank Sanchez and Richard Torrez Jr.'s heavyweight encounter will be postponed until May after the former faced surgery complications.
The pair had been due to meet in Las Vegas on March 28, in a bout that is expected to serve as an IBF heavyweight final eliminator clash.
However, Sanchez has struggled with inflamation in his right knee following a procedure, leaving him unable to train for his next contest.
The Ring instead reports that the pair will now eye a May clash as the Cuban battles towards what would be his second bout in two years.
He aggravated an existing injury in his May 2024 loss to Agit Kabayel and last fought in February 2025 against Ramon Olivas Echeverria.
Torrez, a super-heavyweight silver-medalist at Tokyo 2020, remains unbeaten in his professional career thus far, but needs a major scalp.
His win over Guido Vianello by unanimous decision last April remains the high-water mark for his career thus far, though he remains young.
Twenty-seven this June, victory over Sanchez would theoretically place Torrez on the fast-track pipeline to IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk.
However, the Ukrainian - next due to fight Rico Verhoeven in May - has already indicated he would seek to bypass either man in his plans.
Usyk desires an undisputed battle with the winner of Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois' WBO title bout, before a trilogy clash with Tyson Fury.
Sanchez-Torrez delay adds further confusion
DAZN News correspondent Andrew Steel
News that Frank Sanchez and Richard Torrez Jr. are off the table for now won't come as a major surprise to those following the Cuban's path.
Cruel injury issues have robbed the former of any serious momentum in the heavyweight division, and this will be a further blow to his hopes.
Yet the story of just who is best placed to challenge Oleksandr Usyk for the IBF crown remains one of the sport's most engaging stories so far.
Derek Chisora remains the top-ranked challenger to tackle the star, with promoters chasing a dream farewell title shot against Deontay Wilder.
But if Usyk gets his way amid a cluttered division, it appears that all four major belts may revolve around his wishes for the foreseeable future.
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