By Edward Chaykovsky
IBF/WBA 'regular' super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24KOs) has no interest in facing Olympic gold medal winner James DeGale (20-1, 14KOs), who is the IBF's mandatory challenger.
During a recent interview, Froch revealed that his promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, was heading to the United States for a meeting with adviser/manager Al Haymon to work out a deal for a fight with Mexican superstar Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (48-1-1, 32KOs).
The fight is reportedly targeted for a date in March in Las Vegas - and the bantamweight unification between [Haymon fighter] Tomoki Kameda and [Hearn fighter] Jamie McDonnell could fall on the card as well.
Top Rank is very firm on their position that Chavez is contractually bound to their company for at least one more fight. Chavez believes he is a free agent. They are currently involved in a legal battle over the issue.
Dan Petrocelli, attorney for Top Rank, told BoxingScene on Monday - "Julio Cesar Chavez is under an exclusive contract with Top Rank as explained in detail in the pending federal case in Las Vegas."
Froch is nearing the end of his career and says the one accomplishment he would love to remove from his bucket list is to fight in Las Vegas as part of a major pay-per-view main event.
"Boxing is a business. James DeGale makes this much and [a fight with] Chavez makes this much [Froch showing the difference in money with his hands]. To answer your question - I'll fight anybody...James DeGale, Golovkin, anybody. I've proven that. Look at who I've boxed. I've boxed the best of the best. I've done that in my whole career, so James DeGale doesn't cause me any problems," Froch told BoxingScene.com/Be Real Boxing .
"Boxing is a business and if it doesn't make commercial sense it doesn't happen. DeGale doesn't make sense, therefore it wont happen. It's not me that's not letting it happen - it will be Eddie Hearn, Sky TV, HBO box office, sponsorships, endorsements. It doesn't make any sense with DeGale. If he wins a couple of more fights and beats somebody - then people might start taking him serious and it might develop into a big fight."
"And he lost to George Groves. A lot of people point out - 'well if Froch knocked out Groves and beat him up twice, then why is he taking a backwards step.' The fight for me is Chavez - because it's Las Vegas, American pay-per-view, British pay-per-view. My career has been brilliant but I have not fought in Las Vegas. It's almost a crime, so if the Chavez fight comes off that's the one."
