Frank Sanchez did just that when he agreed to a step-side deal to allow the fight between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic to be contested for the vacant IBF title on Saturday.

In June, the IBF ordered a fight between Sanchez and Itauma after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title, even though Itauma's fight against Hrgovic was already announced earlier in the month.

Sanchez (26-1, 19 KOs) became the IBF's No. 1 challenger after starching Richard Torrez Jr. with a one-punch, right-handed missile in the second round of a title eliminator in May at the Pyramids in Egypt.

"The Cuban Flash" now patiently waits to face the winner of Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) vs. Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs), which will take place at The O2 in London on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

"I think it's a great fight. It's really a 50-50 fight," Sanchez told The Ring through a translator. "Itauma is really good. He's very fast, he's very quick. He has a lot of great attributes. Hrgovic also has a lot of great attributes, and a lot of experience as well. He punches hard. If Hrgovic wins, he needs to catch him and win by knockout.

"Itauma has a very good skill set, and the main differentiator is his speed. I think speed can win fights, and I give Itauma a slight advantage because of it.

"It's boxing, and anything can happen, you know. Hrgovic is strong, but he's a little bit on the slow side. Hrgovic has to use his experience and take Itauma into deep waters if he's going to win. That will be a key benefit for him."

After taking out Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin Jr. in his last two bouts, the 21-year-old southpaw sensation Itauma aims to make the leap to beating world-level competition when he faces Hrgovic in a quest to become the second-youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. (Mike Tyson was 20 when he became WBC champ.)

Itauma is listed as a -800 betting favorite, while Hrgovic is a +500 underdog, according to DraftKings.

Hrgovic, meanwhile, has wins against David Allen, David Adeleye and Joe Joyce in his last three outings after suffering the first loss of his career by eighth-round stoppage against Daniel Dubois in June 2024.

Hrgovic, a 34-year-old Croatian and 2016 Olympian, is looking to prove that Itauma is taking on too much too soon, much like Torrez when he faced Sanchez.

"My message to the young heavyweights out there is that it's really a process. Don't rush too much because there's no substitute for experience," Sanchez said. "You have to take everything step by step. It's not an easy business. Experience is everything in this business, and I showed that I had a lot more experience than Torrez. I knew going in that I had a lot more experience than him.

"My biggest advantage against Itauma, if he wins and I face him, is again going to experience, and that I could match him with speed. Maybe I'm even a little faster than him. And then on top of that, I just don't think he's going to be able to take my punches."

Sanchez should face the winner of Itauma-Hrgovic by the winter.

"Itauma and Hrgovic fighting for the title is good for everyone involved, especially Frank Sanchez, who has a lucrative deal in place to fight the winner with a December/January target date," Sanchez's co-manager Mike Barao told The Ring.

"Frank looked sensational against Torrez, and we expect a similar result against the winner of Itauma and Hrgovic. The Frank Sanchez that fought Torrez beats anyone in the division."

Sanchez's scintillating stoppage against Torrez cleansed the lingering frustrations that remained following his first professional defeat against Agit Kabayel in May 2024. Sanchez took the fight on a bum knee and suffered a seventh-round knockout loss.

Following the fight, the Eddy Reynoso-coached Sanchez underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, but the 34-year-old from Guantanamo is geared up and ready to make a strong run in the most significant stretch of his nine-year career.

"Itauma-Hrgovic is going to be a really, really great fight," he said. "And I'm just looking forward to fighting the winner and becoming Cuba's first heavyweight champion."

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.