Anthony Joshua has been called out by a fresh opponent, Cuban boxer Frank Sanchez amid the ongoing break from professional boxing.
The Brit has already been forced to delay preparations for his scheduled title defence against Kubrat Pulev, all but ending hopes of a potential bout against Tyson Fury later this year.
The 30-year-old could unify the division should he beat Pulev and Fury come through against Deontay Wilder, making his recent call out fairly speculative.
Undefeated Frank Sanchez is said to be eyeing a chance to take Joshua’s crown having beaten Joey Dawejko on points last month to move into the top ten of the WBO rankings.
The 27-year-old’s manager has questioned whether Joshua will be able to WBO commitments amid the ongoing uncertainty, and believes the belt will be vacated.
Mike Barao told Sky Sports: “Just a guess but I think [Oleksandr] Usyk ends up winning a vacated WBO heavyweight title within the next 12 months.
“Frank is in good position to fight for the WBO championship, in the event that occurs.
“I believe Frank Sanchez versus WBO number 6 Junior Fa or number seven Michael Hunter would make sense.”
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Promoter Eddie Hearn has been left with more free time than he would have anticipated due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Joshua’s next fight thrown into doubt.
He told the Evening Standard: “The next two weeks will tell us everything we need to know.
“We hope July 25 is the rescheduled date, but the bigger question is that Joshua has to fight by the middle of August to box twice this year, which is the plan.”
He added: “If it goes beyond that, the conversation may go straight to the fight with Tyson Fury in October or November.
“There’s a contract to fight Pulev and Fury has to fight Deontay Wilder, but anything is possible in this crazy world.
“It might get to stage where if AJ has not boxed Pulev for months, he starts thinking he’s getting older, he doesn’t want the big fights to slide and this might be his only chance to become undisputed heavyweight champion. For AJ, it’s all about the legacy.”
Yetunde Adegoke
