Reporting note: this article draws on Sky Sports; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
Hrgovic vs Sanchez takes shape in Croatia
Filip Hrgovic's hopes of an immediate heavyweight unification with Daniel Dubois are on hold. The IBF heavyweight world champion is instead being steered towards a mandatory defence against Frank Sanchez, with Croatia the likely host and the first quarter of 2027 the working date.
Hrgovic won the IBF heavyweight world championship in August, stopping Moses Itauma in an upset. He was ringside at The O2 arena on Saturday to watch Dubois defend the WBO heavyweight championship, and the two men faced off.
That face-off pointed at a unification. The mandatory obligation points elsewhere first. Nothing is signed, and the people involved are careful to say so.
Sanchez's manager sets out the plan
Mike Borao, who manages Sanchez, told Sky Sports he expects the fight to land early in 2027. "I expect Frank Sanchez versus Filip Hrgovic to take place in the first quarter of 2027, perhaps in Zagreb, but too early to know for sure."
Borao said contact with Queensberry Promotions has already begun. "I have already communicated with George Warren and will likely speak again this week."
His read on the matchup is stylistic: speed and power from Sanchez, plus experience and stamina. "Frank has speed and power, but also brings experience and stamina, so he is anxious to fight Hrgovic."
Sanchez's trainer is also on board. "Eddie Reynoso loves the match and so do I," Borao said. "Sanchez will become the first Cuban heavyweight champion." That framing makes the bout a first world-title opportunity for Sanchez, who would be challenging a champion who has held the belt only since August.
Arena Zagreb welcomes the bout
Zagreb has emerged as a possible venue, and the city's arena has publicly backed the idea. Sretan Saric, managing director of Arena Zagreb, told Sky Sports: "Of course I support the opportunity to hold the fight at Arena Zagreb."
A Croatian date would put Hrgovic in front of a home crowd for a defence of the title he won abroad. The arena's willingness is one piece of the puzzle; the sanctioning body's mandatory order and the promoter's calendar are the others.
Dubois keeps the unification in view
Dubois, who has beaten Hrgovic before, is not closing any doors. He has spoken of collecting the remaining belts as his priority, and he repeated that after Saturday's defence.
"To win all the belts. That's the main thing now for me, collecting all the other belts," he told Sky Sports. "It would mean everything to have all those belts. No one can take that away from me. That's what I'm after now."
He named Hrgovic and WBC champion Agit Kabayel as the names in his sights. "Any one of them, Hrgovic, he was there on Saturday, maybe him or Kabayel," he said. "Hrgovic was tough as well, Kabayel, we'll see, we'll see what he's about. He ain't been in with a guy like me but he's a good fighter."
His closing line left the door wide. "Just anyone with a damn belt… Anyone who wants it."
Two tracks now run in parallel: an IBF mandatory for Hrgovic, and Dubois's search for a unification partner. The sequence is unresolved. A Sanchez fight first would push the Dubois bout further out; a unification agreed first would change the order entirely. Neither has been confirmed, and both camps are still talking.
The original report is from skysports.com.