Currently, though, oddsmakers are siding with Torrez as he’s the slight favorite heading into their March 28 heavyweight matchup at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The odds, however, don’t bother Reynoso. With a few weeks remaining before their IBF eliminator, he has supreme confidence in his fighter.

"I truly believe that Frank has what it takes to come out on top,” Reynoso said. “With his experience, his skills, this is an opportunity we've been waiting for a while, and now we're here to make the most of it."

For much of his career, Sanchez (25-1, 18 KOs) made it look easy. But on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk in May 2024, Sanchez was brutally beaten by Agit Kabayel. The German, who is now the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk, dropped Sanchez twice before stopping him in the seventh.

That loss, nevertheless, didn’t keep him out of the title picture for too long. Shortly after a bounce-back stoppage win at the start of last year, the IBF ordered Sanchez, its No. 3 contender, to fight in an eliminator. However, when Filip Hrgovic, Efe Ajagba, Moses Itauma, and Daniel Dubois got the call, they all turned it down. Eventually, when the sanctioning body reached Torrez, its No. 4 ranked contender, he accepted.

The Ring's No. 9 heavyweight picked up the best win of his career against Guido Vianello last April. After that unanimous decision victory, Torrez (14-0, 12 KOs) stopped Tomas Salek in the first round at the end of 2025.

There’s a lot on the line come March 28. The winner moves into the mandatory position for The Ring, IBF, WBA, and WBC heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk.

For clarity, the IBF is not next in the rotation for Usyk to make a mandatory defense. The Ring’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter is set to have a voluntary defense against Rico Verhoeven on May 23, at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Assuming he’s victorious, he’ll have to make a mandatory defense against WBC interim champion, Agit Kabayel.

Still, regardless of the murky scenario surrounding Usyk, Sanchez is focused on taking care of business against Torrez.

"We're motivated,” Sanchez said in a written statement. “We're going to come out with our hands raised.”