Carl Froch has vacated his IBF Super Middleweight title as he recovers from the injury that ruled him out of a clash with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
The Cobra is now said to be considering his future before potentially defending his (Fake) WBA Super Middleweight title this summer.
Mandatory challenger James DeGale will now fight the next available contender for the vacant title, and the IBF will instruct Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport as to who that will be and negotiations will commence immediately.
“It’s been a frustrating couple of weeks with terms agreed for the Chavez fight only for me to be unable to proceed in camp due to injury,” said Froch. “I know what it’s like to wait for a shot and I didn’t want to hold James up in fighting for a World title.
“James is a great fighter and I hope he can go out and win that title and who knows, we may even meet later in the year.”
“Talks continue with the Chavez camp regarding a summer clash in Las Vegas, and discussions have taken place with Golden Boy Promotions regarding a bumper clash in Nottingham with legend Bernard Hopkins in the summer,” said Hearn.
It’s a bit surprising that Froch dropped his IBF belt, avoiding the need to fight James DeGale in the process. But it shows that his intention from this point forward is likely to focus on just a select few high-profile matches. The most likely scenario is that Froch vs. Chavez gets made for the summer, although a Hopkins vs. Froch clash is now apparently on the table as well.
