By Scott Gilfoid: Jim McDonnell, the trainer for #1 IBF super middleweight contender James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs), isn’t quite sure who DeGale will end up fighting if current IBF 168lb champion Carl Froch is stripped or vacates his IBF strap for not agreeing to defend it against DeGale, his mandatory challenger.
American Andre Dirrell would appear to be the guy that DeGale will be fighting for the vacant IBF title because Dirrell recently beat Derek Edwards in an IBF super middleweight eliminator bout, which means that DeGale and Dirrell should in theory fight it out for the vacant IBF title. However, McDonnell is talking about DeGale potentially fighting the likes of Mikkel Kessler or Rocky Fielding, if not Dirrell.