Froch vacates today. DeGale vs Groves 2 on the cards?

02/02/201502/02/2015 James Sexton

The Mirror has reported that WBA/IBF super-middleweight champion Carl Froch will be forced to vacate his IBF strap today as he has failed to set up a fight with the mandatory challenger in James DeGale. This did not seem to be the case of Froch being afraid to fight DeGale, on the contrary he has been looking to find himself a farewell fight in Vegas against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, nevertheless this title will be up for grabs in the coming months and as DeGale is the first in line he will be fighting for it. The number two ranked fighter by the IBF is American Andre Dirrell, brother of WBC champ Anthony Dirrell. This is an exiting proposition as we could have brothers both as title holders in the same weight class.

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Groves with tough task in facing Anthony Dirrell, says Froch

01/12/2015 Bill Phanco

IBF/WBA super middleweight champ Carl Froch sees a tough road for his recent knockout victim George Groves (21-2, 16 KOs) if and when he faces WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell (27-0-1, 22 KOs) in the United States. Froch thinks that the 26-year-old Groves could have problems if he fights Dirrell in the U.S, although it’s hard to see why it would be any different than it would be if the fight were to take place elsewhere.

Groves doesn’t have to fight Dirrell in order to get a title shot. He can wait until Froch gives up his IBF title, and then face James DeGale for the vacant strap or look to fight the winner of DeGale vs. Andre Dirrell for the title.

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Froch not interested in Golovkin or Ward, wants Chavez Jr

01/11/2015 Bill Phanco

If he can’t get his desired fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Las Vegas, IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch says he’ll be hanging up his gloves and going into retirement. He has no interest in taking plan-B backup options of facing Gennady Golovkin or Andre Ward, even though both of those fights would do quite well on British pay-per-view and would likely sell as well as Froch’s recent fights against George Groves.

Froch wants Chavez Jr because he thinks he can beat him, and he likes that Chavez Jr has a large Mexican fan population that follows him.

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Carl Froch having second thoughts about retiring

01/09/2015 Bill Phanco

IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) appears to be having second thoughts about him walking away from the game in 2015. He’s been talking about retirement since the Lucian Bute fight in 2012, but in the last two years the talk has increased to the point where many boxing fans believed that he would retire after a proposed farewell fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr this year.

Froch now feels like he can continue fighting, and he’s talking about the Chavez Jr and even showing sudden interest in a possible James DeGale fight.

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Froch still on course to face Chavez Jr

01/07/2015 Jeff Sorby

Rob McCracken, the trainer for IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs), says that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (48-1-1, 32 KOs) is still a target for them for their next fight. McCracken says that they’re in talks with Chavez Jr for a fight. This is news because Chavez Jr’s promoter Bob Arum recently said that there is no Chavez Jr-Froch fight.

This means that if Froch’s promoter is having talks with Chavez Jr about a fight, then they’re doing it without Arum’s Top Rank company being part of the talks. If Arum and Top Rank aren’t going to be involved then it’s unknown if a fight between Chavez Jr and Froch can take place.

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Froch ordered by IBF to start negotiations with DeGale

01/03/201501/03/2015 Bill Phanco

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) sent out a letter to IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) on December 31st, ordering him to start the negotiation process with his IBF mandatory challenger James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs). If Froch fails to do this then the IBF will strip the 37-year-old Froch of his IBF title and then order #7 IBF Andre Dirrell to face DeGale for the vacant IBF strap.

Froch has been holding out for a fight against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, because Froch believes that he’s a fighter popular enough for him to fight on pay-per-view in the United States. Chavez Jr has promotional issues with Top Rank, and it doesn’t look as if Froch will be able to get that fight with him anytime soon.

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2014/2015 Reviews and Previews: Terence Crawford, Bernard Hopkins, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Carl Froch, Lucas Matthysse, Peter Quillin, & Erislandy Lara

12/31/2014 Vivek Wallace

(Note: In the third installment of a week long breakdown, boxing scribe Vivek “Vito” Wallace analyzes where today’s top fighters stand, and whether or not 2015 could be the year many of them fall. This week long analysis will cover over 30 top fighters from around the world)

TERENCE CRAWFORD

Despite a somewhat uneventful 2014 in the sport, the one golden talent which served as a silver-lining with platinum potential was Omaha, Nebraska’s Terrance Crawford. Coming into the year few knew his name. By the time it ended, few could forget it! The emergence of Terence Crawford onto the scene has been a breath of fresh air. In what was once considered a limited selection of fans, suddenly, the African American base around the world has a talent to root for that does more fighting than flaunting (money), and more taming than talking!

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Carl Froch vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr close to being finalized for 3/28

12/27/2014 Jeff Sorby

IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch is on the verge of getting his dream fight against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on March 28th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight is close to being finalized, according to the Express.co.uk. Froch, 37, will have his two titles on the line for the fight unless Chavez Jr has problems making weight, which is a distinct possibility given his recent track record.

Out of all the fighters that Froch could have selected for the fight, he chose Chavez Jr despite the fact that he’s not a belt holder at super middleweight and he’s never actually fought a true 168 pound fighter from the division. This will be Chavez Jr’s first fight against a real super middleweight.

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The Year in Review: Six Notable Fights in 2014 – Part I — Pacquiao, Hopkins, Froch, More!

12/25/201412/24/2014 Paul Jones

By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones – Photo © (clockwise) Paul “Paparazzi” Jones/ESB; Steve Lopez/ESB; Al Santiago/ImageSantiago; Chris Farina/Top Rank | Illustration – Paul “Paparazzi” Jones

In this two-part review, I chronicle six of the most anticipated bouts of 2014. In Part I, I cover three key fights from the first half of the year. In Part II, I describe three fights from the remainder of the year and list match-ups that deserve honorable mention.

I selected each of these contests based on their ability to produce drama, historical significance, and/or sustained action. In addition, I emphasize tilts with pound-for-pound and title implications.

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Kessler: I’m sitting by the phone waiting for Froch to call; I want to fight him in a decider

10/06/2014 Bill Phanco

35-year-old Danish fighter Mikkel Kessler (46-3, 35 KOs) says he’s waiting by the phone to get a call from IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) to be his next opponent on January 31st next year in a fight that would be staged in London. Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn is saying that he’s looking to match the 37-year-old Froch against either Kessler or James DeGale, Froch’s IBF mandatory challenger.

“I am sitting by the phone, hoping something is going to happen soon – I want a decider with Carl,” Kessler said to Ringside.

The problem with matching Froch against Kessler is that it’s a fight that some boxing fans would see as a rip-off considering that Kessler hasn’t fought since May of 2013 when he was beaten by Froch.

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