IBF Extends Deadline in Torrez–Sanchez Heavyweight Negotiations

Richard Torrez Jr. is in negotiations for an IBF heavyweight title eliminator against Frank Sanchez.

The IBF has extended the negotiation deadline to January 6 to allow additional time to reach an agreement and avoid a purse bid. No date has been announced. No venue has been confirmed. Terms have not been disclosed.

The bout would represent a change in opposition for Torrez. His professional fights to date have been short and have not extended into later rounds. Sanchez enters undefeated and has spent several years positioned among the division’s secondary contenders. He has not held a major title but has remained ranked and available when higher-profile options declined.

Several heavyweights declined the Sanchez fight before it was reoffered. Torrez accepted. That sequence has shaped how the matchup is being discussed. The hesitation has been attributed to Sanchez’s risk profile rather than to Torrez’s availability or standing. Sanchez is viewed as difficult to match without clear upside. Torrez’s acceptance places him directly into that risk tier.

Outstanding questions remain. The first concerns logistics. If negotiations do not conclude by the January 6 deadline, the fight will move to a purse bid. That would determine promotional control, location, and scheduling. A purse bid could also delay the bout beyond the first quarter of the year.

The second question concerns performance. Sanchez represents an opponent likely to extend the fight and require adjustments. He has gone rounds at a higher level than Torrez’s recent opponents. How Torrez manages that step will shape how quickly he is moved forward after the eliminator.

The bout also carries implications beyond the immediate matchup. The winner becomes the mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight title currently held by Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk’s schedule includes other obligations, which suggests that a mandatory challenge would not be immediate even if the eliminator is completed early in 2026.

Torrez last fought on November 15, scoring a first-round knockout of Tomas Salek in San Luis. The result kept his record intact and extended his run of early stoppages.

At present, no further movement has been announced. The opponent is identified, and the deadline is set. Whether the fight proceeds by agreement or advances to a purse bid remains unresolved.