by James Slater – On today’s issue of The Steve Bunce Boxing Hour on Setanta Sports, promoter Bob Arum was an over-the-phone guest. Speaking primarily about this coming Saturday night’s big welterweight clash between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey – a fight that Arums says has sold out – the long-time promoter also revealed how a most interesting fight is currently being discussed for next year.
According to Arum, unbeaten Carl Froch, the reigning WBC super-middleweight champion, may well be hooking up with the reigning middleweight king, Kelly Pavlik in 2010. No major details were given out, but Arum did confirm that Top Rank have discussed the fight and that it could be Pavlik’s next fight after he has fought Felix Sturm – the Sturm fight also being worked on at present..
Bunce asked Arum if “The Cobra” and his team have enquired about a fight against “The Ghost,” and the promoter answered in the positive.
“That is absolutely correct,” Arum said. “Todd DuBoeuf of Top Rank has discussed that fight and yesterday we met with HBO and talked about Pavlik fighting Felix Sturm in the fall, and early next year – perhaps as early as the end of January – Pavlik fighting Froch.”
This would be one hot fight, to say the least. Both men can bang, both men are at or about their physical prime, and both warriors like to give the paying fans good action bouts. It’s still early days, of course, and both men have to get past their next fight before they can think seriously of facing one another (Froch is being lined up to take on Lucian Bute or possibly Bernard Hopkins in his next big fight, whereas Pavlik looks like facing his rival at middleweight, Sturm) but if the fight can indeed be made the event figures to be pretty huge.
Would Pavlik move up to Froch’s weight of 168? Would Froch drop down to 160? Or, giving it an educated guess with regards to what has the best chance of happening, the two could meet at an agreed upon catch-weight. Either way, and whether there is an alphabet world title on the line or not, this fight looks most attractive.
Arum, perhaps being pressed for time, did not mention Sergio Mora’s name; the man who was originally scheduled to face Pavlik next, only to see the bout called off due to a hand injury suffered by the middleweight king. Maybe “The Latin Snake” has missed his chance? Germany’s Sturm is a good enough opponent to take on Pavlik as a replacement, though. Indeed, this talked-about clash between middleweight champions would be a fight of good quality all by itself.
It is Froch-Pavlik that really gets the excitement levels up, however!