Sanchez–Torrez Heads to Purse Bid After Talks Miss IBF Deadline

The IBF heavyweight eliminator between Frank Sanchez and Richard Torrez Jr. is now headed toward a purse bid, even though both sides technically remain free to reach an agreement.

The sanctioning body has scheduled a January 22 hearing after negotiations failed to produce a deal within the extended window. An earlier purse bid date was pushed back to allow talks to continue, but no finalized terms were submitted. With the deadline passed, the IBF has moved the fight into the auction phase.

Once a bout reaches this stage, promotional control becomes an open question. Any IBF registered promoter will be eligible to bid for the right to stage the fight, unless the camps resolve matters privately before the hearing.

The matchup was ordered to determine the IBF mandatory challenger at heavyweight. The division currently lacks a clear line of succession, and several ranked contenders declined involvement when the opportunity was first circulated last year. With those options exhausted, Sanchez and Torrez were paired as the most workable solution.

There had been discussion about placing the fight on the February 21 Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia card in Las Vegas. That plan became less clear once the event changed hands and was repositioned as a Ring Magazine promoted show. While placement on that card has not been ruled out, any agreement tied to it would need to be completed ahead of the purse bid.

Sanchez has fought just once since his stoppage loss to Agit Kabayel in May 2024. He returned last February with a confidence building win, but has otherwise remained inactive while this eliminator moved through the sanctioning process. The fight represents a chance to re establish himself in the title picture rather than wait for opportunities to reopen.

Torrez enters from a different position. The Olympic silver medalist scored a first round stoppage of Tomas Salek in November and has been kept active while remaining in the IBF rankings. He had previously declined this eliminator when it was first offered, choosing to fight instead. That decision allowed him to rejoin the process later, after other contenders passed.

The fight was formally ordered in December and has already received multiple extensions across both the negotiation and purse bid stages. The January 22 hearing now serves as the final mechanism to move it forward.

The winner will be positioned as the IBF mandatory challenger to unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. At this point, the remaining question is not whether the fight will happen, but who will control it and where it will land.