Daniel Dubois withdraws from IBF eliminator against Frank Sanchez
Queensberry believes that pursuing the IBF route would hinder Dubois’s options. He’s ranked second (WBC), fourth (WBO) and fifth (IBF).
Daniel Dubois Withdraws From IBF Eliminator Against Frank Sanchez
Frank Sanchez will have to keep looking. Initially, it appeared Daniel Dubois had no problem taking on Sanchez in an IBF final eliminator. Five heavyweight champions have decided to withdraw. Dubois has been mum on the subject, but a spokesman from his promoter, Queensberry, told The Ring that his decision to withdraw was calculated. From them, the eliminator held “little value.”
Even if Dubois defeated Sanchez, he would still have to play the waiting game before getting a crack at Ring, IBF, WBA, and WBC heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. At the moment, the IBF is last in the queue. This means Usyk’s next few defenses are slated to come against the No. 1 contender for the WBC and WBA. To add to that, Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) recently dropped his WBO title, leading to Fabio Wardley being elevated from interim champion to full titleholder.
Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) was last seen on July 19 at Wembley Stadium. Although he scored three consecutive stoppages against Jarrell Miller, Anthony Joshua, and Filip Hrgovic, he was brutally KO’d by Usyk in the fifth round.