By Scott Gilfoid: WBA World super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) got some potentially bad news on Saturday with the World Boxing Association ordering him to face WBA Super World super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs).
According to Fightnews.com, Ward and Froch have 30 days to come to an agreement for a fight, and that they have 120 days for their fight to take place. This would mean that the two fighters will need to face each other by the end of July. If Froch and Ward can’t reach an agreement, then the WBA will initiate a purse bid.
I fully suspect that Froch will vacate his WBA title in the same way he did with his IBF title after the International Boxing Federation ordered Froch to fight #1 IBF James DeGale.
It would be sad to see Froch vacate his last remaining title, because it would make his fights against other opponents have less importance in the minds of some fans. I mean, if Froch is seen vacating his titles left and right in order to avoid fighting difficult opponents, it’s going to potentially look bad with him fighting some contender without titles being on the line.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure that a fight against Ward is something that Froch had in mind in the near future, or ever. At this point in his career, Froch is concerned with his boxing legacy and he’s interested in fighting former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, or possibly 50-year-old Bernard Hopkins.
It’s unknown how victories over those two will do anything to improve Froch’s legacy, as neither of those fighters are considered to be the top guys in their respective weight classes. For example, Hopkins was recently easily beaten by WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev last November.
In the case of Chavez Jr, he still has yet to fight an actual super middleweight since moving up to the division in 2013. He’s twice fought middleweight Brian Vera at light heavyweight and then super middleweight. Vera isn’t a super middleweight thought, and he’s more of a journeyman level fighter than a contender.
In Chavez Jr’s next fight on April 18th, if it actually takes place, he’ll be fighting at a catch-weight of 172 pounds against light heavyweight Andrzej Fonfara. As such, Froch is proving zero in fighting Chavez Jr, other than him possibly beating a guy that was exposed by a fading 38-year-old Sergio Martinez in 2012.
I can see Froch possibly slipping in the fight against Chavez Jr before the 120 day period is up for him to fight Ward. Froch could then technically still be in possession of his WBA title at the time he faces Chavez Jr. But once that fight is over, Froch will have to face the music by the end of July whether to face Andre Ward or not.
Like I said, I don’t see Froch ever facing Andre Ward ever again. He fought Ward in 2011 and was beaten by Ward, who fought mostly using his jab. If Froch can fight Chavez Jr in June or July, he could then in theory still have possession of his WBA title. It would be something he can carry into the ring with him for the fight, even though it would likely be the last time that he has the title on the line.
It’s hard to say what Froch will do after the Chavez Jr fight. It’s possible he’ll vacate the WBA title and then retire, or he could turn around and fight Hopkins. Whatever the case, I don’t see him fighting Ward or the Dirrell brothers. I also don’t see Froch fighting DeGale, Sergey Kovalev or Adonis Stevenson.
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