Hrgovic Must Clear Frank Sanchez Before Any Dubois Rematch

Filip Hrgovic wants his revenge on Daniel Dubois, and he's not being quiet about it. Fresh off Dubois' two-round demolition of Fabio Wardley in their rematch — a TKO that improved 'DDD' to 23-3 (22 KO) — the new IBF champion has made a unification his stated goal. There's just a problem sitting between him and that payday, and his name is Frank Sanchez.

Hrgovic's manager Keith Connolly told BoxingScene that Sanchez (26-1, 19 KO) is next, most likely in Croatia. The Cuban earned that mandatory slot the hard way: he took a step-aside fee to let Hrgovic fight Moses Itauma for the vacant IBF belt, with the agreement that he'd get the first crack at the winner. That's how boxing's paperwork works, and Sanchez has already told reporters he fully intends to collect.

Why the Homecoming Makes Sense

Connolly framed the Sanchez fight as a tune-up with a bonus: a homecoming for Hrgovic in front of a Croatian crowd. His logic is simple enough — clear the mandatory, bank the goodwill, then chase the bigger money against Dubois with more heat behind it. He argued the detour actually builds Hrgovic up rather than stalling him.

The risk, of course, is that Sanchez is no gimme. 'El Animal' is 26-1 with his only loss long behind him, and he's coming off a second-round knockout of Richard Torrez. For a fighter who grabbed the IBF strap in what was one of 2026's biggest upsets over Itauma, overlooking a mandatory with real finishing power would be a mistake.

The Dubois Clock

Here's the scheduling snag. Dubois is targeting a February return, and a unification with Hrgovic won't be ready by then. That timeline does line up with someone, though: WBC champion Agit Kabayel, a perfect 27-0 (19 KO), who defends his belt against Nelson Hysa next month and stopped Damian Knyba in three last time out.

So the heavyweight picture sorts itself into two tracks. Hrgovic handles his Croatian homecoming against Sanchez while Dubois looks for a dance partner — possibly Kabayel — for the winter. The Hrgovic rematch stays alive as the prize at the end of the road, assuming everyone wins the fights in front of them. In this division, that's a big assumption.