By Carlos Boogs
A fight between IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook and challenger Diego Chaves draws closer as the Argentina dropped off from a final eliminator to go into a direct fight with Brook, according to promoter Yvon Michel of GYM. The fight would take place on October 24th in Sheffield and likely paired with Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury as a split-site Sky Pay-Per-View event.
BoxingScene.com reported earlier this month that Chaves (23-2-1, 19KOs) was a frontrunner to face Brook (35-0, 24KOs) on the October date.
Chaves had initially been ordered to face Devon Alexander in a final eliminator. Then Alexander walked away to go in another direction.
The IBF then ordered Chaves to face Kevin Bizier (ranked at 5). Michel, who promotes Bizier, said both fighters agreed to the match but then Chaves dropped off to go directly to a fight with Brook. So the IBF has now ordered Bizier to face Fredrick Lawson (24-0, 20KOs and ranked at 6). Both fighters have agreed, says Michel.
"Bizier and Lawson, the two highest ranked available boxers under the IBF, have agreed to fight to determine the mandatory challenger to the world title belonging to Kell Brook. The Argentine Diego Chaves had initially agreed to fight Bizier, but instead he decided to fight directly for the belt by facing Brook. The teams of Bizier and Lawson have until August 28th to reach an agreement or there will be a purse bid," Michel said.
Chaves has been out of the ring since going to a twelve round draw against current WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley last December in Las Vegas. Prior to that, he was disqualified in the ninth round of a bout against Brandon Rios. Chaves was ahead in the scorecards at the time of the stoppage and some felt the disqualification was unjust.
For Brook, it would be his third fight of the year and his third defense of the IBF title that he captured last August from Shawn Porter. Brook stopped Jo Jo Dan in four rounds in March and then returned in May to stop Frankie Gavin in six. Chaves has only been stopped once in his career, when Keith Thurman put him away in the tenth round of their exciting contest.