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Following their impressive victories on the "Day of Reckoning" undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Frank Sanchez and Agit Kabayel have been mandated to face each other next by the WBC.
Cuba's Frank Sanchez, with a record of 24-0 and 17 knockouts, is ranked second by the WBC and is a contender for Tyson Fury's heavyweight title. On the other hand, Germany's Agit Kabayel, boasting a record of 24-0 with 16 knockouts, holds the fourth position in the WBC rankings.
While Anthony Joshua holds the top spot in the WBC rankings, he could potentially face Croatian contender Filip Hrgovic for the IBF title later this year if the winner between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is stripped of the IBF belt. Joseph Parker, the former WBO champion ranked third by the WBC, is set for a challenging bout against Zhang Zhilei, the WBO interim champion, on March 8 at Kingdom Arena.
If Parker were to win against Zhang, he would be removed from the WBC rankings due to his interim champion status. Conversely, if Parker loses, his ranking in the WBC could be affected.
In the scenario where both Joshua and Parker are excluded from contention for the WBC belt, a potential showdown between Sanchez and Kabayel could determine the next mandatory challenger for the title. Talks are underway for the fight to take place at Kingdom Arena on June 1, pending an agreement with Saudi Arabia's Turki Alalshikh.
Sanchez, 31, secured a seventh-round stoppage victory over Junior Fa on the Joshua-Otto Wallin undercard, while Kabayel, also 31, delivered a significant win by stopping Arslanbek Makhmudov with body shots in the fourth round later that night.