By Terence Dooley
The IBF intends to enforce Carl Froch's mandatory Super middleweight title defence against fellow Briton James DeGale despite reports earlier today that Froch is on the cusp of securing a dream Las Vegas showdown against Julio Cesar Chavez Junior. The Express reported that a deal is close for a March 28th date earlier today, but the IBF belt won't be on the line according to Lindsey Tucker, the organisation's Championships Chairman.
“The IBF is not aware of a Froch vs. Chavez fight,” stated Tucker when speaking to BoxingScene. “We expect Froch to honour his IBF mandatory.”
DeGale earned the right to fight for the belt when beating Brandon Gonzales in May via a fourth-round TKO. The 28-year-old Londoner further underlined his credentials by stopping Marco Antonio Periban in three on November 22.
The 2008 Olympic Middleweight Gold Medallist, 20-1 (14), has called long and hard for the Froch fight, but, should Froch get Chavez, he may have to contest the vacant belt against America’s Andre Dirrell. The 31-year-old beat Derek Edwards on points in an IBF 168lb eliminator earlier this month to move to 24-1 (16).
Froch, 33-2 (24), has to enter negotiations with DeGale by the end of December, with the fight due in February should he opt for another all-British showdown. However, the lure of Vegas will prove too hard to resist if Eddie Hearn, Froch’s promoter, and Al Haymon, Chavez's advisor, can thrash out an agreement.
Hearn had previously told BoxingScene that Froch is not the kind of fighter to needlessly vacate a title, arguing that "The Cobra" would only consider this path if it meant landing a major fight. Well, Chavez in Vegas would make one of his dreams come true and is economically viable as a PPV option in both the U.K. and U.S., so it is likely that Froch will opt for the pragmatic choice of vacating the belt. If this happens, it could help Hearn set-up a rematch between DeGale and George Groves, assuming of course that "Chunky" beats Dirrell, which is no easy feat.
Either way, the 37-year-old IBF and WBA title-holder has plenty of options ahead of what could be the last year of a long, distinguished career—he has more than earned a belated trip to the fight capital of boxing.
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