Frank Sánchez Named IBF Mandatory Challenger for Usyk's Super Heavyweight Title

May 31, 2026

Cuban boxer Frank Sánchez Faure, known as "The Cuban Flash," reached a milestone in his professional career after being named the mandatory challenger for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super heavyweight title, held by unified champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine.

The Guantanamo native's rise to the top of the IBF rankings came following the organization's latest convention, held at the end of May 2026. The decisive factor was his dominant performance in Egypt, where he knocked out American Richard Torrez Jr. in the second round, reaffirming himself as one of the division's elite fighters and erasing any doubts about his competitive level.

"Frank Sanchez is moved to #1 after knocking out Richard Torrez and will be their next mandatory," confirmed IBF convention updates shared by boxing journalists on social media.

With this recognition, Sánchez — who carries a professional record of 25 wins (18 by KO) and 1 loss — stands one fight away from the world championship he has been chasing throughout his career. Usyk's unified title is the most prestigious prize in super heavyweight boxing today.

It now falls to the teams of both fighters to negotiate the terms of the bout — purses and scheduling — though Sánchez's mandatory status makes it very difficult for Usyk to avoid this obligatory defense.

The good news for Cuban boxing did not stop there. The same IBF convention brought positive developments for two other Cuban fighters:

Lightweight Andy Cruz, Olympic champion at Tokyo 2020, will get a shot at the top of the IBF 135-pound division after Matchroom Boxing won the promotional rights auction for his bout against Albert Bell with a bid of $298,000. The winner of that fight will move into title contention.

Meanwhile, super middleweight champion Osley Iglesias retains his 168-pound title and awaits the outcome of the eliminator between Troy Williams and Diego Pacheco, which will determine his next mandatory challenger. The IBF set October 2026 as the deadline for Iglesias to make his mandatory defense.