“Now Frank is the mandatory for Hrgovic. We plan on enforcing it. We’ve already had discussions about it. It’s happening,” Valencia told BoxingScene. “There’s not going to be step-asides for no amount of money. He believes he can be world champion and wants to be world champion, and [nothing] is going to interfere with that opportunity.
“Moses wasn’t strong enough to hurt Hrgovic in the first six or seven rounds. It’s a completely different story with Frank Sanchez. Frank has speed and big power.”
Itauma did hurt Hrgovic, dropping him in the second round and landing enough heavy shots to build a huge lead. His failure was not a lack of strength. He emptied his gas tank trying to force a stoppage, abandoned his jab as fatigue set in, and eventually became a stationary target.
The Cuban presents a different test. He is more comfortable boxing at a controlled pace, changing angles, and forcing slower heavyweights to reach for him. Hrgovic had trouble finding Itauma when the 21-year-old stayed disciplined early. That kind of movement is available to Sanchez without the pressure to satisfy a British crowd by turning every exchange into a firefight.
The danger is Sanchez’s low punch output. Against Efe Ajagba and Christian Hammer, he often waited to land single counter rights or lead left hooks. Hrgovic keeps throwing after taking clean punches and can steal rounds through activity alone. Sanchez cannot circle for three minutes, land two eye-catching counters, and assume the judges will ignore everything coming back.
Agit Kabayel also exposed the fastest route to breaking Sanchez down: sustained body punching. Hrgovic is not a committed body attacker. He prefers straight rights upstairs and rough right hands in close, which allows Sanchez to use his upper-body movement against predictable head shots. If Hrgovic cannot slow his legs by attacking downstairs, chasing him around the ring may turn into an ugly night.
Hrgovic still carries physical force that Richard Torrez Jr. could not match. At roughly 245 pounds, he can make clinches exhausting and punish Sanchez once his movement declines. The real test comes after the eighth round, when Sanchez must continue slipping heavy shots while producing enough offense to protect his lead.
Abel Sanchez helped Hrgovic settle down against Itauma by getting him to stop lunging and allowing the younger fighter to exhaust himself. Similar patience will be required against Frank Sanchez. Reckless pursuit gives the Cuban the exact counterpunching opportunities he wants.
Frank Sanchez may possess the tools to hurt Hrgovic in ways Itauma failed to sustain, but Valencia is overlooking the champion’s durability, output, and ability to keep applying physical pressure. One sharp combination will not be enough over 12 rounds.
Hrgovic’s trainer wants the champion’s cuts to heal before a January return. Valencia is willing to wait, provided Frank Sanchez remains next.
