By Scott Gilfoid: #1 IBF Adonis Stevenson (19-1, 16 KO’s) believes a victory over IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) will open a whole new world for himself in being able to get important fights. Stevenson is Froch’s IBF mandatory challenger, and the IBF has already ordered for fight negotiations to take place.
Stevenson said on his twitter “Once I beat Froch I’m going to be at another level.”
It would be nice if Stevenson could get this fight with Froch because it would help Stevenson get bigger fights, but I don’t think Froch will take the fight.
I believe Stevenson would put Froch to sleep if he could get the fight, but I think Froch’s promoter will ultimately set up a unification bout with WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler and the International Boxing Federation will let Froch bypass the fight with Stevenson. It’s too bad but I don’t see Stevenson getting the fight with Froch, ever.
If Froch beats Kessler, he’ll probably vacate the IBF strap so that he’s free to fight whoever he wishes for his first fight with the WBA title. I don’t think Froch will win the WBA strap, but if the Kessler-Froch fight takes place in the UK, then I can certainly see Froch earning a controversial 12 round decision while fighting at home.
Stevenson will be fighting for the IBF title in the near future, it’s just that’s likely going to be against someone like Thomas Ooszthuizen instead of Froch and it’ll come when Froch either vacates – the more likely scenario– or is stripped of the title.
In the best possible world, Froch would fight Stevenson first and do the right thing by defending his IBF strap rather than making Stevenson wait for the shot. This is boxing, though, and we often see champions steering around their mandatory challengers in order to avoid a fight that they might not be good enough to win if forced to take the fight.
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