The IBF is tired of waiting.

The sanctioning body has officially called for a purse bid to take place January 22 for the elimination bout between heavyweight contenders Frank Sanchez and Richard Torrez.

The winner of their proposed bout would become the mandatory contender for Ring/IBF/WBA/WBC champ Oleksandr Usyk.

Initially, a purse bid was set to take place January 6. It was postponed as both Sanchez (25-1, 18 KOs) and Torrez (14-0, 12 KOs) inched closer to a deal. Ultimately, with no agreement in place, the sides have been given a deadline to get it done.

For Sanchez, his career appeared to be going in the wrong direction. The 33-year-old Cuban was dropped and stopped in the seventh round against Agit Kabayel in May 2024. He did get a bounce-back win against Ramon Olivas Echeverria in February 2025, but that third-round stoppage was Echeverria’s fifth straight loss by knockout.

Torrez, on the other hand, is on a roll. The Ring’s No. 9 contender has mowed down the competition. The 2020 Olympic silver medalist from Tulare, California also had a terrific 2025, as the 26-year-old picked up a first-round knockout against Tomas Salek and a 10-round, unanimous-decision win over Guido Vianello.

Sanchez is ranked No. 3 by the IBF. Torrez is right behind him at No. 4.

The top spot in the IBF’s top 15 is open. Second-ranked Derek Chisora wasn’t interested in participating in this elimination match, nor were Efe Ajagba, Filip Hrgovic and Moses Itauma.