By Scott Gilfoid: In a highly questionable move, WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) has decided to give up his IBF 168lb title rather than defend it against his mandatory challenger James DeGale.
The move is a curious one because it comes across to some boxing fans that Froch is avoiding the DeGale fight in order to take the arguably softer one against the inactive Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
I don’t know what Froch’s angle is in giving up a strap that he gave up blood to win, but I’m sure Froch has his own reasons for doing this. I just know it looks bad from outward appearances.
Froch’s fans are quick to defend his actions by saying he’s earned the right to steer himself around DeGale because Froch previously beat domestic level fighter George Groves, Lucian Bute, and a past his prime Mikkel Kessler. However, I don’t rate those victories as being big enough wins for Froch to be taking the easier path with his career and resting on his laurels, as if he accomplished a great deal with his career.
Froch was beaten by the two best fighters he faced in Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward. I know Dirrell technically lost to Froch, but I had Dirrell easily winning a fairly lopsided fight and I’m not the only one who saw the decision going for Dirrell.
Up until Froch faced him in 2012, Bute was a flawed fighter who never fought anyone that you can call a good fighter. I mean, if you look at Bute’s best wins of his career, they came against the likes of Edison Miranda, Librado Andrade, Brian Magee, Sakio Bika and Denis Grachev.
Bika is a decent fighter, but none of those are great fighters. Froch being Bute is really not big deal, to be honest.
“Who knows, we may even meet later in the year,” Froch said via Skysports.com about a potential fight against DeGale in 2015.
I really don’t buy the talk of Froch fighting DeGale in 2015, or anytime in the future. If DeGale gets whipped by Andre Dirrell on April 25th, then there will be no reason for Froch to fight DeGale. It’ll be academic at that point that the fight can’t happen, and I sure as heck don’t see Froch fighting Dirrell again.
No way is that happening. I see that as a case of Froch having to be dragged kicking and screaming into the ring with the talented Dirrell because I can’t see him volunteering for that fight. Dirrell is all wrong for Froch.
Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn is saying that the Chavez Jr talks are continuing for a Froch-Chavez Jr fight, and he’s hoping to stage it in the summer months in Las Vegas. Hearn also is interested in matching Froch against 50-year-old Bernard Hopkins.
“Discussions have taken place with Golden Boy Promotions regarding a bumper clash in Nottingham with two-weight world champion legend Bernard Hopkins in the summer,” Hearn said.
That fight at least is halfway interesting, even though Hopkins is coming off of a one-sided loss to WBC light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev last November.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn8V7GQ4Pd0
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