Filip Hrgovic risks blowing a massive rematch with Daniel Dubois before formal talks even begin. Frank Sanchez stands in his way, expected to challenge for the IBF heavyweight crown in Croatia early next year.
Hrgovic crashed the ring after Dubois blasted out Fabio Wardley inside two rounds on Saturday, demanding an immediate March unification. Manager Keith Connolly, however, sees Sanchez as the mandatory hurdle that must come first.
“We’ll probably fight Sanchez and get that out of the way and then do the bigger fight afterwards,” Connolly told BoxingScene.
Writing off Sanchez like that carries serious danger. One slip costs Hrgovic his hardware, wiping out the massive financial reward of a unified clash with Dubois.
Sanchez previously took step-aside money so Hrgovic could battle Moses Itauma for the vacant belt in August. After stopping Itauma in the ninth round, Hrgovic became legally bound to face the Cuban contender. Bypassing Sanchez now to jump right at Dubois demands another costly deal.
Connolly targets a date past January for the defense, noting that talks with Croatian officials continue without an official schedule.
“I think Sanchez is a good match-up for my guy,” Connolly claimed. “Sanchez is not going to knock my guy out.”
Hrgovic took sustained, heavy punishment against Itauma before youth and exhaustion caught up with the British fighter. He got dropped in round two, ate flush uppercuts, and spent six rounds absorbing clean power shots before his toughness finally paid off.
Wars like that take something out of a fighter that never truly returns. Walking into a bout against Sanchez right after that kind of beating is asking for disaster. Sanchez possesses elite Cuban schooling. He controls distance, sets traps, and makes opponents pay when they overreach.
Unlike Itauma, who blew his entire gas tank chasing an early knockout, Sanchez paces himself. He stays disciplined, works behind a slick jab, and detonates accurate counter rights.
Hrgovic still fights with an upright posture that leaves his chin available. Dubois cracked it until cuts forced a halt, and Itauma landed at will early. If Hrgovic lumbers forward against Sanchez hoping his durability carries him again, he could find himself outboxed, battered, and thoroughly picked apart long before any rematch with Dubois materializes.
Avenging the June 2024 stoppage loss on cuts against Dubois makes complete sense for Hrgovic. Arriving as a reigning champion provides the bargaining chip Dubois actually wants.
Drop the belt to Sanchez, and that leverage disappears instantly. Hrgovic and Connolly keep staring at the massive prize down the road, but brushing off an elite contender as a minor chore could turn into a costly mistake.