LOS ANGELES – Cuban heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez is talking up a gargantuan game as he prepares for his return to the ring under the auspices of new coach Joe Goossen. 

The 29-year-old Sanchez (20-0, 13 KOs) sits on the fringe of the top 10 in boxing’s glamor division, and he wants to catapult up further by getting a crack at one of the division’s longtime former champions. 

“I have my eye on Deontay Wilder. That's the guy I know I can beat easy and without a doubt I'll knock him out. That's an easy fight. I'm not Luis Ortiz,” Sanchez told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “The only thing that he has is power. He doesn't know how to box.” 

Sanchez compared Wilder to Efe Ajagba, a foe he dropped and defeated via unanimous decision on the former WBC champion’s undercard last October.

“They are basically the same fighter,” said Sanchez. “They only have a power punch. I know the talent and technique that I have and what it takes to get to victory. I hope I get the opportunity to fight Wilder.”  

Sanchez recently split from trainer of the year Eddy Reynoso and followed Ryan Garcia to Goossen. 

Previous to linking up with Reynoso, Sanchez was trained by Erik “Tigre'' Castaños until 2019. Under the same roof as Reynoso was also another heavyweight in former champion Andy Ruiz Jr. 

Ruiz has split from Reynoso as well, and although he and Sanchez never sparred, Sanchez is open to the idea now that there are no coach conflicts standing in between them. 

“If there is an opportunity, I'll fight [Ruiz or] anybody. That's what I've always said,” said Sanchez. 

Sanchez is set to return in a fight later this year, manager Lupe Valencia told BoxingScene.com.

Sanchez kicked off the New Year by scoring a unanimous decision win against Christian Hammer.

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.