By Luke Furman

IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch will vacate his title in order to finalize a rematch with WBA "regular" champion Mikkel Kessler - if the International Boxing Federation denies his request to delay a mandatory fight with Adonis Stevenson of Canada.

Froch's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has yet to reach an agreement with Sauerland Event, who promote Kessler. Froch's back is now against the wall as the IBF ordered him to face Stevenson and both sides have until January 15th to reach an agreement or a purse bid will be called.

There have been discussions between Hearn and Yvon Michel, who promotes Stevenson, to stage that fight in the event the Kessler discussions become a dead issue.

If a deal with Kessler is reached beyond the IBF's deadline to submit an exception for a delay on Stevenson, Froch could very well vacate the belt.

"Even if the IBF does not recognize my fight against Kessler as a unification fight, I will still fight him. I am willing to sacrifice everything for the game. If it means that I have to give up my IBF belt, I'll do it. I fought hard to win the IBF belt, when I defeated Lucian Bute, and I am proud to be a world champion. But sometimes a match between two named fighters is larger than the title. A fight between Kessler and me is as big as it can get, whether there are two belts at stake or not," Froch was quoted by La Journal.

Luke Furman covers boxing for bokser.org