BoxRec

It's still a good fight. Hopefully it gets made

ANNOUNCED: Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman undercard confirmed for March 28th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas:

Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr
Yoenli Hernandez vs Terrell Gausha
Elijah Garcia vs Kevin Newman II

Man Terrell Gausha has to be getting up there by now huh? Seems like he's been around a long while.

Richard Torrez Jr.-Frank Sanchez heads up Fundora-Thurman undercard

The fight will provide chief support to the bout between WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora and Keith Thurman at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Prime Video PPV.

Also featured on the card is a middleweight contest between Yoenli Hernandez and Terrell Gausha, as well as Elijah Garcia taking on Kevin Newman II in a 168-pound tilt.

Sanchez and Torrez have long been linked for a bout, and they finally have a date set for their significant slugfest. The winner will emerge as the mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk, The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC champion and pound-for-pound king.

“A victory on March 28 moves me one step closer to being the IBF’s mandatory challenger and realizing my dream of becoming the first Cuban heavyweight champion of the world,” said Sanchez. “Torrez is a strong fighter who’s hungry to prove himself, but I will win this fight in grand fashion for my great Cuban and Latino fans.”

“The Cuban Flash” Sanchez (25-1, 18 KOs) bounced back from the lone loss of his career in 2024, a seventh-round stoppage against Agit Kabayel, with a tune-up fight and third-round stoppage against Ramon Olivas Echeverria last February in Mexico.

Torrez (14-0, 12 KOs), The Ring’s No. 9-ranked heavyweight contender and a 2020 US Olympic silver medalist, took home a pair of wins last year against Guido Vianello in April and Tomas Salek in November.

“Frank is skilled, technical and dangerous, and that’s exactly the kind of challenge I’ve been looking for,” said Torrez. “Great fighters don’t avoid tests; they run toward them. I’ve prepared for every moment of this fight, and when the bell rings, I’m coming to take over.”

In other action, Hernandez (9-0, 8 KOs), a power-punching Cuban and The Ring’s No. 2-rated middleweight contender, and Gausha (24-5-1, 12 KOs), a 2012 US Olympian, will meet in a 10-round middleweight matchup.

“I’m extremely grateful for another opportunity to showcase my talents,” said Hernandez. “But let’s be real, not everyone has the heart to step in there with me. Respect to the one who will on March 28. I’m locked in, staying sharp and I’m coming to make a statement. No shortcuts, no excuses, just pressure. Stay tuned.”

Hernandez was previously linked to a fight with Jahi Tucker before Gausha landed the assignment.

“I’m a true professional who’s always training, because boxing is what I do,” said Gausha. “I’ve seen Yoenli fight and he’s a young, strong, skilled fighter. If you’ve watched my fights in the past, you’ll know that’s what I like. I want to test myself against the best. Beating him will get me close to my goal of becoming world champion. That’s what I’m here for.”

Opening the PPV portion of the show is Garcia (17-1, 13 KOs), who makes his super middleweight debut against Newman (18-3-1, 11 KOs).

Garcia, a 22-year-old from Arizona, is looking to get his career back on track. Garcia was fortunate to secure a split decision win against Gausha last March in a fight many believed he lost. Garcia was also dropped in the fight, and the performance followed a split decision loss to Kyrone Davis in June 2024.

The two fights came after Garcia stopped Jose Armando Resendiz inside eight rounds in September 2023. Resendiz has since revived his career with an Upset of the Year win against Caleb Plant, and he’s currently the WBA super middleweight titleholder.

“I’m working hard and can’t wait to show everything we’ve been working on in camp,” said Garcia. “This is a big opportunity to make a statement at super middleweight, and I’m gonna make the most of it.”

Newman (18-3-1, 11 KOs), meanwhile, will be stepping up to a significant stage for the first time in his 12-year career.

“I want to thank everyone who made this opportunity possible,” said Newman. “I’m looking forward to getting into the ring on March 28 and showcasing my skills. I’m coming to put on a dominant performance from start to finish.”

To be honest Sanchez vs torrez feels like it should be the main event… I guess Fundora vs Thurman has a belt…

Thurman headlining a world title fight just dosent sit well with me. But oh well, fornicate it. Thurman only has 1 154 fight… and it was against a 122er that got into body building (and grew up, should probably be a 140 still though)…

Target practice for Richard Torrez. Bombs away.

gregregegg wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026, 18:34 Is this fight still happening? Haven’t heard much on it. I’d love torrez to get a win here…

Undercard of Fundora Thurman on March 28.

If that fight happens, of which I am still doubtful...

Taansend wrote: ↑18 Feb 2026, 14:58

gregregegg wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026, 18:34 Is this fight still happening? Haven’t heard much on it. I’d love torrez to get a win here…

Undercard of Fundora Thurman on March 28.

If that fight happens, of which I am still doubtful...

Perfect…. One of my favorite fights is reliant on Thurman staying active….

gregregegg wrote: ↑18 Feb 2026, 15:23

Taansend wrote: ↑18 Feb 2026, 14:58

gregregegg wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026, 18:34 Is this fight still happening? Haven’t heard much on it. I’d love torrez to get a win here…

Undercard of Fundora Thurman on March 28.

If that fight happens, of which I am still doubtful...

Perfect…. One of my favorite fights is reliant on Thurman staying active….

What would that be?

i think torrez will maul frank, caveat is if frank really was injured in the kabayel fight, but tbh from watching a lot of sanchez i think, while his skills are solid, he just lacks that 'dog' vs a guy who will really come at him.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑19 Feb 2026, 14:16

gregregegg wrote: ↑18 Feb 2026, 15:23

Taansend wrote: ↑18 Feb 2026, 14:58

Undercard of Fundora Thurman on March 28.

If that fight happens, of which I am still doubtful...

Perfect…. One of my favorite fights is reliant on Thurman staying active….

What would that be?

Sanchez vs torrez.

One of my favorites is Mabey an exaggeration. But it’s a good fight for me .

gregregegg wrote: ↑19 Feb 2026, 22:13

gilgamesh wrote: ↑19 Feb 2026, 14:16

gregregegg wrote: ↑18 Feb 2026, 15:23

Perfect…. One of my favorite fights is reliant on Thurman staying active….

What would that be?

Sanchez vs torrez.

One of my favorites is Mabey an exaggeration. But it’s a good fight for me .

I like it better than the Main Event for sure. Honestly if the Main Event falls through they should just carry on with Torrez vs Sanchez as the Main Event.

Frank Sanchez will have too much for Richard Torrez, says Reynoso

Richard Torrez is good, but putting him on the same level as Frank Sanchez is laughable according to his trainer Eddy Reynoso.

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.”

I think the intrigue with this fight is whether the Kabayel fight actually showed us anything. Sanchez looked excellent prior to that fight but looked awful in that fight. Kabayel is now widely considered the second best in the division so losing to him doesn't make the loss as bad as it initially did for Sanchez. On top of that he was quite clearly injured as he showed barely any movement, Kabayel clearly exploited that. He is however quite old. So the unanswered questions are:
- Was Sanchez ever top level?
- Is Torrez actually top level?
- Will Sanchez be able to rediscover his pre-Kabayel movement?
- Will Sanchez's chin and stamina hold up in his older age?

This fight is for Torrez to make a name for himself and properly introduce himself into the top HW scene.

joshj909 wrote: ↑02 Mar 2026, 05:59 I think the intrigue with this fight is whether the Kabayel fight actually showed us anything. Sanchez looked excellent prior to that fight but looked awful in that fight. Kabayel is now widely considered the second best in the division so losing to him doesn't make the loss as bad as it initially did for Sanchez. On top of that he was quite clearly injured as he showed barely any movement, Kabayel clearly exploited that. He is however quite old. So the unanswered questions are:
- Was Sanchez ever top level?
- Is Torrez actually top level?
- Will Sanchez be able to rediscover his pre-Kabayel movement?
- Will Sanchez's chin and stamina hold up in his older age?

Agree. I am curious if Kabayel is that good or if Sanchez has some type of bad night or something. Because i was pretty igh on Sanchez. If Torrez can handle this properly, i will become his fan. Now, he is just hypejob for me

sanchez has an asbolutely dreadful style to watch, one of those guys who i struggle to get excited for any of his fights no matter how evenly matched, because he's so poopy on the eyes

this could be a really ugly one, torrez trying to maul frank, frank being negative

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑02 Mar 2026, 17:02 sanchez has an asbolutely dreadful style to watch, one of those guys who i struggle to get excited for any of his fights no matter how evenly matched, because he's so poopy on the eyes

this could be a really ugly one, torrez trying to maul frank, frank being negative

I can’t wait to be wrong and hate myself for jinxing it but I honestly don’t think Sanchez can make this fight boring… well might be able to make late rounds boring if it goes there but I can’t see him making my the first 4 or 5 rounds boring.

Has the fight been cancelled?

Why is it not on the BoxRec schedule?

Perkin Warbeck wrote: ↑06 Mar 2026, 13:08 Has the fight been cancelled?

Why is it not on the BoxRec schedule?

No undercard’s fights are showing.

God knows at this point.

Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr is postponed and won't take place on the Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman card on March 28th as Sanchez is dealing with inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, sources tell The Ring's @MikeCoppinger.

Sanchez won’t be able to train for several weeks and the fight will be rescheduled, with May the target.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑11 Mar 2026, 12:23 Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr is postponed and won't take place on the Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman card on March 28th as Sanchez is dealing with inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, sources tell The Ring's @MikeCoppinger.

Sanchez won’t be able to train for several weeks and the fight will be rescheduled, with May the target.

Firstly, predictable. Secondly, what a load of shit. Thirdly, Torrez is 100% winning if Sanchez's knee is still fucked.

joshj909 wrote: ↑11 Mar 2026, 13:50

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑11 Mar 2026, 12:23 Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr is postponed and won't take place on the Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman card on March 28th as Sanchez is dealing with inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, sources tell The Ring's @MikeCoppinger.

Sanchez won’t be able to train for several weeks and the fight will be rescheduled, with May the target.

Firstly, predictable. Secondly, what a load of shit. Thirdly, Torrez is 100% winning if Sanchez's knee is still fucked.

It took forever to even sign this fight and now a postponement
Damn just get another opponent. Torrez doesn't need to waste his time