Luis Ortiz may be on his way out; at least he will need to beat Charles Martin in what will be his next fight, and impressively if he’s not to be largely forgotten – but there is another gifted, technically sound Cuban heavyweight on the scene.
Frank Sanchez – who will fight on the Ortiz-Martin card of Jan 1st when he will face Carlos Negron in what will be his third fight of the year – is, without doubt, a future heavyweight champion. So says his manager Mike Borao.
Sanchez, 19-0(13) may not be the most exciting heavyweight out there today, but he is skilled, he is hungry, and he is closing in on a shot at the title. Trained by Eddy Reynoso (and even sparring sometimes with Canelo Alvarez), 29-year-old Sanchez “beats Tyson Fury today,” according to Borao, who spoke with Sky Sports.
“Frank Sanchez is one of the most active high-profile fighters today,” Borao said. “His rise has been extraordinary, as well as his undeniable talent.
I think Frank Sanchez beats Tyson Fury today. Tyson is no fool, so I doubt you see a voluntary defense against Frank any time soon – he will have to force the issue by beating guys like Efe Ajagba and work towards the mandatory.
At Frank’s pace, I have no doubt he will become the number-one contender in short order. The day Frank Sanchez gets the opportunity and fights for a world title is the day he becomes heavyweight champion.”
So, is Sanchez that good? Is Borao right in what he says? Casual fight fans may not have even seen Sanchez fight, while the big heavyweights fights the world wants to see over the coming months involve Fury and Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. Will Sanchez get a shot as quickly as Borao feels will be the case? Sanchez is certainly a fighter to keep a close eye on, and maybe if he can get a final eliminator and if he can win it, he will get a shot sometime in 2022.
Sanchez scored the biggest win of his pro career on the Fury-Wilder III card when he scored a dominant decision win over the unbeaten Ajagba. Again, it wasn’t exciting to watch, but Sanchez proved he has the tools needed to get the job done. Let’s see how Sanchez looks against Negron, 25-3(20).