Not many fighters are actively seeking a bout with Oleksandr Usyk — but unbeaten Cuban Frank Sanchez would love to face the Ukrainian in 2021.
"The Cuban Flash" (15-0, 11 KOs) is ranked 10th by the WBO, whose current champion is Anthony Joshua and mandatory challenger is Usyk.
And Sanchez’s team are anticipating a scenario in which he would be Usyk’s first challenger.
"It's looking like some chance Usyk may pick up a WBO vacated title in 2021 (if Joshua vs Fury happens)," Sanchez's manager Mike Borao told Sky Sports.
"In that case, it would open a small window for Frank to fight for a title in 2021.
"Frank is world ranked in the WBO and a bout between two of the best recent amateur cruiserweights fighting for a heavyweight title would be intriguing."
Sanchez beat the legendary Erislandy Savon to a national title before becoming a pro in the USA.
"Few fighters are willing to step up against Frank," Borao added. "I tried to make a bout against Joseph Parker without success.
"Also, we tried very hard to make a fight against Efe Agjaba while Efe was with Premier Boxing Champions. That fight made sense for us, because frankly the gap in skill level between Frank and Efe is monstrous.”
One more fight before aggressively pursuing Usyk appears to be the desired route, assuming of course that Sanchez’s team can get someone to sign up.
"Currently, Frank is training with [trainer] Eddy Reynoso and in camp with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Ryan Garcia, preparing for an October-November bout,” said Borao.
"If we can't get another young prospect in with Frank, we will try for bouts against established fighters like Gerald Washington and Dominic Breazeale."