By: Hans Themistode
After putting together his best year as a pro, Frank Sanchez desperately wanted to kick off 2022 on the right foot.
The highly ranked heavyweight contender couldn’t have asked for a better start as he had an easy night at the office against late replacement Christian Hammer. The two clashed in the co-main event late last night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
A determined Sanchez effortlessly boxed past his man, dropping him in the final few seconds before winning every round on all three judges’ scorecards. Although the Cuban native is appreciative of every opportunity that he’s been afforded, at the age of 29, he’s interested in facing the best of the best in the heavyweight division.
At the moment, WBC titlist Tyson Fury is regarded by many as the man to beat. With Fury solidifying his standing with back-to-back stoppage wins over the hard-hitting Deontay Wilder, the British native has garnered enormous praise from his promoter Bob Arum. The 90-year-old Hall of Famer has gone as far as to claim Fury as a better all-around fighter than iconic figures such as Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
Still, even with Fury seemingly in a class of his own, Sanchez scoffs at the idea of Fury being a superior fighter to himself. And, if given the opportunity, Sanchez believes he’ll embarrassingly dethrone him.
“I knock him out easily,” said Sanchez during an interview with ESNEWS. “He has no boxing skills.”
While Fury is often viewed as the number one heavyweight in the world, newly crowned unified champion Oleksandr Usyk is believed to be in the mix as well.
Following a dominant run in the cruiserweight division, which resulted in an undisputed title reign, Usyk has gone on to prove that his skills translate well to the land of the big men. On September 25th, 2021, Usyk thoroughly outboxed Anthony Joshua to strip him of his WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles.
But while Usyk is now only one belt shy of becoming a two-division undisputed champion, Sanchez views a possible future showdown between them as a walk in the park.
“Even easier,” said Sanchez when asked if Usyk would be more difficult to deal with than Fury. “Usyk has movement but he doesn’t have the technique that I do.”