By Terence Dooley
Nottingham's Carl Froch, 37, could make his Las Vegas debut on March 28, according to Niall Hickman of The Daily Express. The British newspaper has reported that a deal to take on Julio Cesar Chavez is close to completion, which means that "The Cobra" will get to top a bill in the boxing's fight capital.
Hickman also revealed that Kell Brook will return to action on the same night. A defence of the IBF welterweight title against Ionut "Jo Jo" Dan Ion has been mentioned as a possibility for the Sheffield-based Brook's comeback fight, his first since he was stabbed in the leg whilst holidaying in Tenerife during the summer.
Froch, 33-2 (24), has not fought since scoring a sensational eighth-round KO win over domestic rival George Groves at a packed Wembley Stadium in May. He has an IBF mandatory defence against James DeGale on the horizon, but could opt for a fight against Chavez instead.
Although he has not done enough during his career to justify another big opportunity, Chavez's name will help drive the Vegas show-topper and the 28-year-old has featured on PPV in the U.S. before. However, the 48-1-1 (32) former WBC middleweight world titlist lost to Sergio Martinez in September 2009 and looked lethargic against Brian Vera (W12 in 2013 and 2014 respectively).
Certainly, Froch would be the clear in-form fighter going into the mooted clash.
Eddie Hearn, Froch's promoter, has been working hard on the super middleweight champion's next move. He has been chasing Chavez for a while after declaring that Froch had earned the right to a big Vegas showcase. Hearn revealed that talks were progressing well earlier this month, and that there had been productive meetings between him and Al Haymon, Chavez's adviser.
Many fans have called for a showdown between Froch and Gennady Golovkin, however Chavez draws more water in Vegas and was always the key component for a big, Vegas-based money spinner. It's not one for the purists, but the fight will capture the imagination of the paying public and should do good figures, vindicating Froch's decision to bide his time and wait for the big one.
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