Dubois Takes Huge Gamble Vs Frank Sanchez In IBF Eliminato

Daniel Dubois has agreed to battle #4-ranked Frank Sanchez in an IBF final eliminator to determine a mandatory challenger to undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Chasing the Usyk Trilogy

For Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs), it’s his best path to line himself up for a lucrative trilogy match against Usyk.

The former IBF champion Dubois’ reported purse for his recent fifth-round knockout loss to Usyk earlier this year on July 19 was $71 million. So, understandably, he’s willing to take a risky fight against the Cuban Sanchez (25-1, 18 KOs) in hopes of getting a third massive payday against Usyk. It’s far better to take that risk than go in another direction.

The Men Who Said No to Sanchez

Sky Sports Boxing revealed today that Dubois, 28, has agreed to face Frank Sanchez in an IBF eliminator. These three notable heavyweights turned down the dangerous fight against Sanchez:

• Moses Itauma
• Richard Torrez Jr.
• Efe Ajagba

It was surprising that hyped Itauma chose not to fight Frank Sanchez either, but he may have been too advanced of a fighter for his level.

Cuban Danger Zone

Going up against Sanchez, a fighter who is being avoided like the plague, is a sign of pure desperation on Dubois’ part. The Cuban has blazing fast hand speed, power, and combination punching that make him one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. Although Frank was stopped in the seventh round by Agit Kabayel on May 18, 2024, a contributing factor was that he was fighting with an injured knee.

If Dubois Loses Again…

Still, Sanchez landed a lot of heavy shots to the head of Kabayel, who showed toughness to absorb the punishment. With Dubois’s sometimes fragile punch resistance, it’s difficult to imagine him being able to withstand Sanchez’s power for long without caving in. A knockout loss could spell the end of Dubois’ career.

Dubois suffered his third knockout loss in the last five years in his fifth-round KO defeat against Usyk on July 19th in front of a large crowd at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

‘Dynamite’ Daniel showed no improvement in his game from his first defeat against Oleksandr on August 26, 2023. In that fight, Daniel was knocked out in the ninth round. If anything, Dubois looked worse in his rematch with Usyk.

Some boxing fans blame his decision to host a small party at his house the day of the fight as a possible reason for his loss to Usyk. However, it just looked like Dubois mentally wasn’t there the moment he made his ringwalk. He had a 1,000-yard stare, similar to that of a shell-shocked soldier on the battlefield.

The eight-year pro Frank Sanchez is coming off a third-round knockout victory over Ramon Olivas Echeverria on February 22, 2025, in Tijuana, Mexico.